2004 Seppelt St Peter's & Chalambar

[Broughy]

Has anyone tried these recently?
Rave reviews on release. I have found the Chalambar unapproachable to date on release this was a big dense wine and quite tannic and a little bitter; still seems disjointed. Tried a 04 St Peter's the other night and this was not up to the St Peter's standard. Again quite tannic and seemed a bit thin for fruit. maybe time will bring them around but usually 10 years is a good cellaring period for these

[Duncan Disorderly]

I had a bottle of the '04 Chalambar in March and it was superb, drinking beautifully over two nights. Then had another bottle in May and it was OK, but still very subdued and nowhere near as good as the first bottle even after a 12+ hour decant. Both wines were under screw cap, bought at roughly the same time and stored under the same conditions.

Coincidentally I have had a similar experience with two bottles of the '02 I bought at auction recently. Both were lovely, but one required a much longer decant than the other one to really shine.

Can't help you on the St Peter's sorry.

[dlo]

Broughy,

Tried a 2004 St Peter's last Sunday. No shortage of fruit, but in a way, I think I can identify with your sense of underachievement for the marque and the (supposedly excellent) vintage. I thought the wine smooth, well balanced, nothing out of place, especially no adverse tannins - if anything, it lacked just a bit of wow factor. I would rate it about 88 points and pretty much a drink now - 2018 proposition. The wine came out of a 1st Choice temperature controlled storage area where it's been for some considerable time. It was on "special' for $50.

[Waiters Friend]

Oh ye of little faith.

Trust in the Gods of Seppelts. Both the St Peters and the Chalambar are wine of ditinction, in most vintages. 2004 is still coming around for both wines.

Be patient.

Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Oh ye of little faith......................Be patient.

Alan is right, the main problem is drinking the wines too young. I still have a bottle of the '98 Chalambar.

Interesting to hear about bottle variation in a screw capped wine. I thought that wasn't supposed to happen.

Mahmoud.

[Broughy]

Thanks for the replies...
agree perhaps underwhelmed was my response. spolit with some excellent prior vintages 00 & 01, 02 looking good too. perhaps they are a bit bigger style than those that have gone before and thus need a little more time

[Wizz]

I'm with DLo here. I've tried a few St Peters back to 1998 over the last year, including 2004, and wasnt wowed by any of them. Nice enough bottled aged shiraz, but no wow factor for me in any of them. I was disappointed every time based on the promise these showed in their youth, before Seppelt started being made by accountants (from about 2004),

cheers

Andrew

[Michael McNally]

I recently tried the 2006 Sliverband, 2006 Chalambar and 2006 Victoria Shiraz and while the higher-priced two were clearly 'bigger' wines, the best of the three at least for interest and flavour (as opposed to power) was the lowest label.

Cheers

Michael

[dlo]

Thanks for the replies...
agree perhaps underwhelmed was my response. spolit with some excellent prior vintages 00 & 01, 02 looking good too. perhaps they are a bit bigger style than those that have gone before and thus need a little more time

I've got a few 98, 02 and 04 St. Peter's ..... don't like where the '98 has gone (porty/alcoholic) ..... was much better as a younger wine when the gorgeous blackberry and licorice fruit masked the alcohol ...... the '98 Reserve, which just about everyone bags to the outhouse for being overoaked, is, IMHumbleO, now the better of these 2 Seppelt Great Western's. The '02 reminds me a little of the '98 as a younger wine .... I like it .... regular low 'nineties achiever, although, as much as I like it, I like the price it gets at auction better! (sometimes $80-100) I managed to pick up a six pack of this from a deceased estate for not much more than, all up, $200 late last year. The '04 is mostly excellent, too, but the last bottle seemed a little underwhelming compared to previous bottles. But it was from First Choice and not my cellar, so I'm unsure as to its provenance.

[Broughy]

2002 Seppelt St Peter's this is under cork and thought I would try one on ethe back of this thread. Very dense blueberry palate, amazing nose of blueberries. absolutely fresh, clear pristine fruit, nice ripe supportive tannins. excellent wine. mouth filling, well rounded, fruit and long long palate, not that this normally affects me. Still relatively youthfull but why wait longer. This wine is gorgeous in this style 96 points

[Broughy]

Re above post...I didn't mean this to sound like a rebuttal....which it does. what I was trying to convey is that this a very good wine in the style and for this Marque.

[Mike Hawkins]

Nothing wrong with a polite rebuttal Broughy. It makes the forum a more interesting place !

Cheers

Mike

[coh]

Hi guys,
fairly new to this forum and only just saw this topic. I recently bought a dozen of the chalambar from a colleague who is getting rid of his whole cellar. Anyway, I grabbed them for $15/bottle which I thought was the bargain of the century. Unfortunately he didn't have any more. I have only had the 1 but it was superb. Drinking well. As I picked it up from his house and out of his cellar, I was fortunate to see how it had been cellared and it was cellared in perfect conditions.

Anyway, just thought I would add in my thoughts.
Have a great night.

ps: sitting here writing this drinking a 2009 Rockford cab sauv (rifle range)....wow, this is a great wine already.

Coh

[Michael McNally]

Welcome to the forum Coh!

Enjoy the Rockford.

Cheers

Michael

[rooman]

David

Interesting comments on the '98. Personally I adore the stuff but as I increasingly find with some of the older wines I am drinking nowadays, it needs to come out of the cellar the day before drinking, stood up right and the cork needs to be pulled mid morning with no decant. I have also had one or two straight from the wine fridge (which is the half way home between the offsite location and the dining room table - temp around 18c) and these wines tend to be quite shut down. I have also drunk a couple recently head to head with older Clonakilla and they definitely hold their own IMO.

Mark

[dlo]

David

Interesting comments on the '98. Personally I adore the stuff but as I increasingly find with some of the older wines I am drinking nowadays, it needs to come out of the cellar the day before drinking, stood up right and the cork needs to be pulled mid morning with no decant. I have also had one or two straight from the wine fridge (which is the half way home between the offsite location and the dining room table - temp around 18c) and these wines tend to be quite shut down. I have also drunk a couple recently head to head with older Clonakilla and they definitely hold their own IMO.

Mark

Thanks Mark,

I need to grab a bottle each of the '98's and try them as you suggest .....

[Broughy]

opened another 2004 Chalambar narrowed my concerns down to:
1.Very acidic and lacks balance.
2.Doesn't have the generosity of fruit of prior vintages