Shared a bottle with my wife over 3 hours. Bliss from start to finish. Blood and iron. Dark, ripe plum. Leather and musk. Sandalwood. Ground coffee and cigar box at the end of the final glass.
Remarkable stuff. I literally had my nose stuffed into my Zalto Universal for hours enjoying the evolving aromas. So complete. So deep and dark and alive. Incredible length. This could last forever. The vitality of a wine 1/5 it’s age, with all the complexity of a wine that has developed over half a century. 98 points - my highest ever CT rating, and I’m dragging the average down! Yes, The Hill is hallowed turf indeed. (98 Phenomenal wine)
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Perfection - Heschke, Rockford and Charles Melton (in that order) are my favourite producers from my home appellation, Barossa... and this is their BEST WINE ever
Best wine I have ever had in line with the 1982 Margaux (100), 1990 Grange (100) and the 1985 Cheval Blanc (98/100)
Where do we start... I stole this... well not literally from a local negociant who doesnt know shit from shinola... but that is another story
Perfectly stored
From the Barossa Valley when the BV was king and the asshats from my birth land had not effed up the wine industry (thanks Robert Parker and co)
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This is one of the most gorgeously perfect wines I've ever had. It had the sophistication in ageing of a great Bordeaux. This 35-year-old wine had beautiful lush fruits, with smoothed out tannins and a cigar-box nose. We let the bottle stand for a couple of days to settle the sediment, and then opened and immediately poured out of the bottle during dinner. No decanting or airing. It was the right move. The wine came out with beautiful integrity and presence (nose and taste) from the first sip, with just a trace of initial mustiness that blew off within minutes. We savored the wine for hours. Over that time, the nose only blossomed in beauty, but after a couple of hours the taste began to flatten out and subside. I can't believe the Australians were producing wine of such stupendous quality in 1973. If you ever have a chance to drink this wine, do it. This is the only 100 points I think I've ever given to a wine on CellarTracker.
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10/6/2023 - G.M. wrote: 98 Points
Shared a bottle with my wife over 3 hours. Bliss from start to finish. Blood and iron. Dark, ripe plum. Leather and musk. Sandalwood. Ground coffee and cigar box at the end of the final glass.
Remarkable stuff. I literally had my nose stuffed into my Zalto Universal for hours enjoying the evolving aromas. So complete. So deep and dark and alive. Incredible length. This could last forever. The vitality of a wine 1/5 it’s age, with all the complexity of a wine that has developed over half a century. 98 points - my highest ever CT rating, and I’m dragging the average down! Yes, The Hill is hallowed turf indeed. (98 Phenomenal wine)
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6/19/2019 - aZzaZz wrote:
Was very sweet, like fortified or port, was well past expected drinking age but still smooth and drinkable.
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1/1/2014 - dogsbrekky Likes this wine: 100 Points
Perfection - Heschke, Rockford and Charles Melton (in that order) are my favourite producers from my home appellation, Barossa... and this is their BEST WINE ever
Best wine I have ever had in line with the 1982 Margaux (100), 1990 Grange (100) and the 1985 Cheval Blanc (98/100)
Where do we start... I stole this... well not literally from a local negociant who doesnt know shit from shinola... but that is another story
Perfectly stored
From the Barossa Valley when the BV was king and the asshats from my birth land had not effed up the wine industry (thanks Robert Parker and co)
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4/20/2013 - jackarmando wrote: 100 Points
Simply one of the most amazing wines I've ever had. We've now had three of the 1973s over the past few years, and each has been perfection.
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7/21/2010 - jackarmando wrote: 98 Points
Excellent. Not quite as good as I remember it last time, but still amazing.
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4/5/2009 - jackarmando wrote: 100 Points
This is one of the most gorgeously perfect wines I've ever had. It had the sophistication in ageing of a great Bordeaux. This 35-year-old wine had beautiful lush fruits, with smoothed out tannins and a cigar-box nose. We let the bottle stand for a couple of days to settle the sediment, and then opened and immediately poured out of the bottle during dinner. No decanting or airing. It was the right move. The wine came out with beautiful integrity and presence (nose and taste) from the first sip, with just a trace of initial mustiness that blew off within minutes. We savored the wine for hours. Over that time, the nose only blossomed in beauty, but after a couple of hours the taste began to flatten out and subside. I can't believe the Australians were producing wine of such stupendous quality in 1973. If you ever have a chance to drink this wine, do it. This is the only 100 points I think I've ever given to a wine on CellarTracker.
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