Last Saturday 100 plus lost souls gathered at Peel Estate for their annual dose of tannin and purple teeth aka the Peel Estate Premium Shiraz Tasting. 20 of the best available 6 year old shiraz (1997) from around the world, the wines preselected by a panel and served blind in 4 flights of 5 wines. After each flight a presenter gives his thoughts on the wines just tasted. The identity of the wines is not revealed until all have been tasted and discussed.
This is followed by lunch served with wines left over from the tasting topped up with Peel Estates latest release shiraz.
All tasting glasses are left in place over the afternoon allowing ample opportunity to return to them to see how the wines develop with air.
In the following brief notes colour is not described, just assume it is dark purple/black to the rim as even the Frog and Italian wines were pretty deep..
Flight 1
1.A nice chocolate vanilla nose which showed blackberry, vanilla and spice on the palate with associated fine dusty tannins, unfortunately with a slightly sour finish. Typical Oz shiraz and proved to be Tim Adams Aberfeldy.
2.Sweaty savoury leather nose with a hint of black fruit in the background. The palate was dominated by savoury characters with leather grippy drying tannins and had a sour finish. Not a very pleasant wine, however the presenter raved about it after the flight. Perhaps he picked it as an expensive Frog drop. I picked this as a Hunter wine and therefore the Vat 9 (only Hunter rep) due to the sweaty savoury leather characters, however this turned out to be the Cape Mentelle.
3.This wine was a step down from the previous. The nose was very muted, revealing nothing. The palate was dominated by the acidity with very little fruit evident. Very soft silky tannins and a sour finish. So bad I thought it could be a Froggy but it turned out to be the Mt Langi Ghiran, blue label.
4.I did not think things could get worse, HA! Again zip nose. Sulfur, acid and nix else on the palate. Tyrells Vat 9. Atrocious stuff.
5.Ah, a wine with smell. Blackberry and vanilla. Opened in the mouth with soft silky tannins and sweet blacberry with a spicey vanilla oak finish. Again pure oz but only upper end quaffer. Majella
I thought I had eaten something that had rotted my palate until I compared notes during the break. My notes matched the consensus, apart from the enthusiastic presenter.
Flight 2
6.This was more like it. Audible sighs of relief echoed around the room as people stuck their nose into this wine. Huge nose, redolent with blackberry, spicey oak and vanilla. The palate was a big lush mouthful of sweet black fruits, strong acid backbone and soft drying tannins with a long sweet finish. Mt Ida you bewdy.
7.Another solid nose with milk chocolate, sweet blueberry and vanilla. Sort of smelled like a chocolate blueberry muffin. The palate provided a big hit of black berry and sweet black plum with spicy oak and soft tannins with a very long finish. A slight step up from the previous wine, Coriole Lloyd.
8. Ribena and spices dominated by white pepper on the nose. Slightly oak dominent in the mouth but pleasant cassis and blackberry fruit began to shine through. The tannins were soft and drying. A very pleasant cooler climate shiraz which proved to be Gilberts.
9.Again a muted nose but sweet dark fruits showed through with a bit of work. The palate was slightly dominated by the acid, but there was ample sweet black fruit. The tannins were coarse and green. Picked it as a cool climate though uncertain of origin. It turned out to be the only Italian entry, Isole Olena Syrah from the Chianti region.
10.Another wine with the chocolate blueberry muffin nose. Ample sweet dark berries on the slightly acid dominated palate with ripe grippy tannins. Picked as a Barossa and proved correct. Peter Lehman Stonewell. Drink now for mine.
Not a bad flight and certainly a relief after the first, but still nothing truly outstanding.
Flight 3
11.A slightly subdued nose which opened with a little work to reveal gobs of fruit and spicy French oak. Another lipsmacker in the mouth. Lush mouthfeel with gobs of ripe black fruits, mint, spice and vanilla with silky tannins and a long finish. Peel Estate. Hmmm!
12.Violets, cassi plums and vanilla met the nose and was reflected in the mouth. Again that lush mouthfeel. Scored it the same as above. BestÂ’s Thomson Family.
13.French at first smell. Savoury meatiness with green leaves on the nose. Savoury, herbal, earthy characters and French oak on the palate. A pleasant wine for what it is but give me that fresh sweet fruit anyday. I thought it might be the dÂ’Ampuis but it was its brother. Guigal Hermitage.
14.Quite mute nose that did not reveal much of anything. Sweet dark berries with drying tannins and a solid acid backbone. OK. Orlando Lawsons
15.Savoury nose with white pepper. Savoury herbal characters dominated the mouth. Picked it as the Hermitage. Ho, HO, HOG. Yep Henschke Hill of Grace.
Some nice wines, but again nothing that stood up and made you weep.
Flight 4
16.Muted cedar and tobacco leaf nose. Not a huge amount of action in the mouth. Acid and acid and a touch of fruit but an interesting toffee/savoury finish. No idea at this stage. Guigal Chateau dÂ’Ampuis.
17.Volatile mint nose. Mint and blackberry in the mouth with silky fine tannins and a mint finish. (Both the nose and the palate improved markedly over 3 hours and the wine showed a lot better) Jim Barry Armagh
18.Another volatile mint dominated nose with hints of blackberry. Oak, oak, volatile mint, vanilla, coconut and drying tannins. Yep. Penfolds Grange
19.Smell it and it screams Barossa. Chocolate, blackberry, and vanillin oak. Great in the mouth with again that lush mouthfeel. Gobs of blackberrys with plums, vanilla and spicy oak. Bloody good stuff. Elderton Command.
20.Very muted nose giving nothing. Savoury black sweet fruits with grippy drying tannins. So much oak I was worried about splinters. The well named Yalumba O(ak)tavius.
Not a bad line up considering the year but nothing that screamed out to be noticed. My scoring follows and again, to me, shows the value of blind tasting. Again some wines appear to be absolute bargains on the quality for money scale.
18.5/20
Elderton Command
Peel Estate
BestÂ’s Thomson Family
Coriole Lloyd
18/20
Mt Ida
17.5/20
Gilberts
17/20
Henschke Hill of Grace
Guigal Hermitage
Peter Lehman Stonewell
16.5/20
Orlando Lawson
Penfolds Grange
16/20
Majella
Tim Adams Aberfeldy
Isole Olena Syrah
15.5/20
Jim Barry Armagh
15/20
Yalumba Octavius
Guigal Chateau dÂ’Ampuis
14/20
Cape Mentelle
13/20
Mt Langi Ghiran
12/20
Tyrells Vat 9
No, I am not a particularly hard marker. The last 3 wines showed as absolute crap on the day, not just to me but to all those with whom I compared notes.
Looking forward to the 98s already.
TN: 1997 Premium Shiraz Tasting, Peel Estate
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David Lole