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NobleRottersSydney - Rosemount wines with Neil Hadley MW
Darling Mills, Glebe
Tasted July 2, 2001 by graemeg with 662 views
Introduction
It can safely be said that 30 bottles of wine is more than sufficient to keep 14 diners happily imbibing. I know this, because that is the circumstance in which I found myself last night. On the very first business day of the Southcorp-Rosemount merger becoming effective, the Noble Rotters were privileged to enjoy the company of 4 members of the Rosemount Sales/Marketing team, including Neil Hadley MW at our usual venue. Despite the slightly changed corporate circumstance it was an all-Rosemount affair, with the wines being supplied by our kind guests. Prestige wines too, thanks, no split labels here. THere was much discussion of the things Southcorp did and didn’t do well, and share prices...
Flight 1 (15 notes)
White
2000 Rosemount Estate Chardonnay Hill Of Gold
Very pale straw. Strong nose of lemon-butter and melon. Pure and clean on palate – not as thick or MLD-dominated as the nose suggests, but still seemingly low in acid. Quite a short finish. Just so-so, nothing special.
White
1997 Rosemount Estate Chardonnay Orange Vineyard
Mid straw. Peach, melon & almost a hint of honey. Oak & MLF characters are very subdued. Some complexity on palate – fruit has softened, but acid is still carrying the wine.
White
1998 Rosemount Estate Chardonnay Giants Creek
Mid straw. Quite lean & closed on nose, with a smidgin of lemon. Subtle – varietal character not obvious at all. Spicy, with a hint of figs and some flinty minerally characters. Quite lovely on palate – components seem well-knitted together. Much closer to a ‘dirty’ French wine than a squeaky-clean Oz chardonnay.
Red
1999 Rosemount Estate Shiraz Hill Of Gold
Bright crimson red. Aromas of wild raspberries & raw oak. Peppery on palate, but still distinctly thin and rather short. Not so flash…
Red
1999 Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Hill Of Gold
Deep purple red. Also closed, very nebulous fruit qualities. Initially tannic on palate, but fades quite quickly. I don’t seem to have any notes on fruit flavours here. Much more austere than the shiraz. Another a short finish.
Red
1998 Rosemount Estate Mountain Blue
Deep glowing red. A rich nose of black coal & spice. Some vanillin qualities. Strong but fine tannins, with a nice even long palate. Very nice wine.
White
1992 Rosemount Estate Chardonnay Roxburgh
Mid-gold. Distinctly oxidised. Very honeyed, but more dominated by aged qualities. Drinkable, & still reasonably well balanced, but clearly not getting any better. Claimed by the Rosemount boys to be untypical. But then, Roxburgh always is, in my experience. Don't think I've ever had a bottle showing 'as it should'.
Red
1998 Rosemount Estate GSM
A rich nose of spice & minerals. Not really Rhonish, but with some earthy qualities. Lovely spicy, velvety palate, quite full & rich – very nice wine.
Red
1997 Rosemount Estate Traditional
Quite vegetal & herbaceous. Only OK – and quite underwhelming beside the previous & following wines.
Red
1996 Rosemount Estate Traditional
Much richer & spicier nose then the 97. This is very good. Richly flavoured, with medium length finish. Lots of rich McLaren Vale fruit qualities.
Red
1998 Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Show Reserve
Deep purple red. Essence of ripe coonawarra – that blackcurrant & mulberry quality. Structural aspects (acid, fine tannins) overwhelm fruit at this early stage. Quite a big wine – and too young to drink now.
Red
1987 Rosemount Estate Cabernet Sauvignon Show Reserve
Deep brick – stunning colour of a 14-yo wine. I first looked at it & thought it was a bit pale even for a 97! The nose is something of a reflection of the vintage conditions I suspect – distinctly greenish, with capsicum & asparagus. For me, overly leafy and dominated by under-ripe characters. Thinnish texture and a short finish.
Red
1998 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral
Deep purple red. Coconut, rhubarb, pepper, rich black fruits. Still too young – rough & harsh – I think it has great potential but needs plenty more time to come together.
Red
1997 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral
Not a competitive wine beside the 98. Strange medicinal, menthol qualities. Odd. Not spending much time here!
Red
1994 Rosemount Estate Syrah Balmoral
Glowing red. Lovely aromas of cloves & spice, with a beautiful velvety palate. Has come together beautifully – acid & tannin have melded homogeneously, the fruit is still very much emphasised and not weakening at all. Yet to develop any real aged characters, I think this has plenty of time left. The wine of the night, clearly.