Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling vertical tasting

[Waiters Friend]

G’day

Eight of us were privileged to christen the new Wine Room at Lulu’s Little Bistro in Perth. For this event, our chef Mark devised a main course special to go with the wines – thoughtful given the main restaurant was fully booked as well (on a Wednesday night).

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The tasting looked at Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling from current release (2024) back to 2012 (not quite every vintage). Although part of Treasury Wine Estate, Seppelt’s Great Western operation seems to be somewhat independent. It’s famous for (among other things) the Show Reserve Sparkling Shiraz and the couple of kilometres of drives (tunnels) in which their sparkling wines are stored. I hope to visit the region (Henty) in the future.

The Drumborg vineyard was planted in 1964 by Karl Seppelt and produces Riesling, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chardonnay and Traminer. The Rieslings age superbly, and it goes without saying that all of the wines are high acid (so I haven’t mentioned this in the notes).

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2024: Pale lemon colour. The nose shows green apple, white blossoms, lemon/lime, talc, and one taster noted nasturtium stems. The palate has gentle lemon/lime (one taster noted sherbet) with good mid-palate weight of fruit. There’s some salinity and/or minerality (this was a common feature in the younger wines). Good length and well regarded by the group.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2023: Pale lemon colour. A restrained nose, with florals, fresh cut green apple, lemon/lime, and talc. The palate shares the restraint of the nose. Green fruits, sour grass, green pea puree, wet stone and more of the salinity discussed earlier.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2022: Pale lemon colour. A hint of kero on the nose, which blew off fairly quickly. Lemon/lime, white flowers, lantana and snow peas. The palate shows delicate green fruits, some citrus, talc, wet stone and considerable minerality – a bit like drinking electrolyte drinks (e.g. Powerade). Less fruit, but more salinity and showing the start of development.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2021: Lemon colour. Delicate citrus and white flowers on the nose, with some of the (now trademark) minerality. A savoury palate, with talc, modest citrus and apple fruits, but good mid-palate fruit weight. More salinity towards the finish and austere overall.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2020: Lemon colour. A fuller nose than the previous couple of wines, with prominent citrus and green apples, florals, talc and minerals. One taster noted ‘BBQ lemon’. There’s more lemon/lime on the palate, and more Gatorade, with mineral salts towards the finish. Showing signs of development and fleshing out.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2019: Lemon colour. Pronounced citrus on the nose, with white flowers and talc. One taster noted a chorine character. The palate is starting to demonstrate development, with the citrus showing as lime cordial, and some white nectarine creeping in. Although there’s some wet stone, there’s less of the salinity, and the wine is balanced with good length. Highly regarded by the group.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2018: Yellow colour. The nose shows lemon (but less citrus than younger wines), green apple skin, and some apricots and light peach. A hint of kero initially. The palate is tangy and juicy, with lemon cordial, quince, stewed apple and one taster noted ‘frangipani pear tart’. Great length and building complexity.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2017: Yellow colour. A faint whiff of kero on the nose. Lemon and green apple (less pronounced than the 2018), with fresh cut herbs (chervil, rosemary), and nasturtium leaves. The palate shows soft lemon/lime cordial and ‘lemon delicious’ dessert. Good length.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2013: Yellow tending to gold. Initial kero on the nose, then lime, caramel, toast and lanolin. Lemon cordial on the palate, sour citrus, lemon yoghurt slight salinity – and then the more unusual descriptors came out: ‘damp Eton blazer’ (=wet wool, presumably) and ‘charred yellow capsicum lime salsa’ (which was entirely accurate). Some viscosity and definitely showing development. Well regarded by the group.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2012: Deep yellow but lighter than the 2013. More primary citrus fruit on the nose than the 2013, with some rosemary, tarragon and kiwi fruit. A juicy palate with tangy lemon cordial and a hint of caramel, and some fruit weight on the midpalate. Well regarded.

Riesling of the night was the Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Riesling 2019.

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A couple of discussion points emerged from this tasting. Most of the wines spend about 4 weeks on lees after fermentation, and this shows texturally in a slight fashion and adds interest to the wines. The vexed question of minerality arose again, and I will leave it to the reader to consider whether this is a valid wine descriptor and what it actually means (even the experts cannot agree). Regardless, Gatorade / mineral salts is probably as close as I can get for the purpose of these notes.

We threw in a bracket of the Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Noir, just because ….

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Noir 2023: Pale garnet in colour. A youthful nose, with strawberries, red and dark cherries, raspberry, coffee and charry oak. The palate shows lots of primary cherry fruit, some spices, cedary oak, blood orange and light tannins. Acid is medium to high, and the wine has a fairly soft, gentle finish. The group considered this needs another couple of years in bottle.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Noir 2021: Garnet in colour. Similar nose to the 2023 but a little fuller, with the inclusion of red plums and more strawberries. More sour cherry on the palate, cedary oak (slightly charred), white pepper and modest tannins. The wine is more integrated with good length and seems well balanced.

Seppelt Drumborg Vineyard Pinot Noir 2016: Ruby colour. A developed nose, with cola, vanilla, spices, sour cherry, strawberry compote and (surprisingly) blueberry. More sour cherry on the palate, with cocoa powder, cedary oak and integrated tannins. The group considered whether the wine had seen a percentage of stem inclusion. Medium to long finish and well regarded by the group, although I think it’s starting to fade and should be consumed soon.

I love sharing these tasting with (wine-informed) friends – I’m always fascinated by the differences in palates and the range of wine descriptors that people come out with. For me that is educational and continues to challenge me. Many thanks to all who attended, and especially to Mark and Jodie at Lulu’s Little Bistro for their faultless service.

Cheers
Allan

[phillisc]

Thanks so much Allan, have most of these, so your notes are a great reference point. I purchased another sixer of the 2024 this week, TWE deal $24!!! Cracking wine for the price.

Cheers Craig

[JamieAdelaide]

Thanks so much Allan, have most of these, so your notes are a great reference point. I purchased another sixer of the 2024 this week, TWE deal $24!!! Cracking wine for the price.

Cheers Craig

Didn’t see that! I backfilled this label from auction. That said, haven’t tried my 05’s yet.

[Waiters Friend]

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[saturn5519]

Thanks Allan .Very informative notes on my favourite riesling.

[VinoEd]

Great notes, thanks for sharing. I opened this last night. It was in an excellent spot.

Cheers Ed

[JamieAdelaide]

Look at that colour! Beautiful for near 20 years!

I opened four Austrian Rieslings yesterday of a similar age from FX Pichler and Hirtzberger of the Wanchau.

Corks were excellent on three but one was golden and the fruit tropical and bruised. Typical if a cork not doing its job.

I’m a definite stelvin lover for Riesling.

[VinoEd]

Look at that colour! Beautiful for near 20 years!

I opened four Austrian Rieslings yesterday of a similar age from FX Pichler and Hirtzberger of the Wanchau.

Corks was excellent on three but one was folded and the fruit tropical and bruised. Typical if a cork not doing its job.

I’m a definite stelvin lover for Riesling.

Thought the same opening this last night. Stelvin is THE closure for Riesling. The 2006 could’ve gone another 10 easy.

[phillisc]

Cracking wine Ed. Looks amazing
Will have to dig out a 1998 and 2002.
Cheers Craig

[Waiters Friend]

For those opening old Drumborgs as a result of this thread, please post tasting notes! I would appreciate detailed impressions.

Thanks
Allan

[phillisc]

2024 Drumborg... lovely nose all purity of fruit, palate soft but persistent. Lacks the laser like precision of a Merle or a Steingarten but a lingering profile of lemons and limes that carries through. Feel that this wine demands time to gain complexity. Good now but will be better in the long run.
Cheers Craig