Great Australian Wines Of 1997

[rooman]

I have not had a bottle of any of these wines for sometime but had a 96 last year which was magnificent.

Hi Craig,

I was in Australia some years ago and when it came time to redeem my Vintage Cellars points before leaving the country I tried to use them towards a '96 Great Western, then with a blue label and in a burgundy bottle, instead of their monthy selections. I explained to the saleman that I was leaving the country and would prefer to take a cellaring-style wine not available in Canada. He agreed but discouraged me from taking the Great Western saying that there were a lot of cork problems with the '96 Great Western and suggested I choose something else. Knowing that it was an iconic Victorian wine from a good vintage I wistfully I turned away from it (in my mind's eye I can still see it on the shelf of the store). Instead I got two bottles of '98 Mitchell 'Sevenhill' Cabernet.

I was happy with the Mitchell Sevenhill because I tasted it at cellar door and did think that it was better than their '98 Shiraz (I found that I often prefered Clare Valley winery's Cabernets to thier Shirazes). However I often wonder if I made the wrong decision in not insisting on the '96 Great Western and your comment on it suggests that I might have.


Cheers ............................. Mahmoud.

Personally I would have gone with the Seppelts. The 98 St Peters Shiraz is still one of my all time favourite Aussie shiraz.

Cheers
Mark

[JamieBahrain]

Didn't think there was anything much good from 97. It was acclaimed as a great SA riesling vintage as I recall, but they were all thoroughly dead within a decade. Well, almost. Good luck with that Petaluma; I expect it looks like a sauternes and tastes like sewing machine oil.
As for the reds, weren't we just in the midst of over-oaking everything back then?
cheers,
GG

There's always great wines from poor vintages. I see it time and time again in vintage wine dinners. On a couple of occasions there will be a freaky Bordeaux, Burgundy or Barolo that is the unexpected performer of the night, and low and behold, try and find it on the secondary market and its gone whereas the 82 Bdx is in abundance- there are some smart drinkers out there! 1969 Lakes Folly and the 2002 Monfortino come to memory as some of the greatest wines I've had from really bad vintages.

Anyways, that was sort of my thread theme. 20 years on, pull them out and see what's performing. I have the 97 Craiglee shiraz and Mt Mary Quintet standing up for drinking, hope to see some of the forumites participating. We may discover a few gems.

[Mahmoud Ali]

There's always great wines from poor vintages. I see it time and time again in vintage wine dinners. On a couple of occasions there will be a freaky Bordeaux, Burgundy or Barolo that is the unexpected performer of the night, and low and behold, try and find it on the secondary market and its gone whereas the 82 Bdx is in abundance.

Spot on Jamie! I would also add that, vintage aside, there are less fancied wines that can outperform the classics when opened at the right time. In truth all well made wines will have their day in the sun and caught at the right moment will provide the patient collecter no end of satisfaction.

Mahmoud.

[michel]

Didn't think there was anything much good from 97. It was acclaimed as a great SA riesling vintage as I recall, but they were all thoroughly dead within a decade. Well, almost. Good luck with that Petaluma; I expect it looks like a sauternes and tastes like sewing machine oil.
As for the reds, weren't we just in the midst of over-oaking everything back then?
cheers,
GG

There's always great wines from poor vintages. I see it time and time again in vintage wine dinners. On a couple of occasions there will be a freaky Bordeaux, Burgundy or Barolo that is the unexpected performer of the night, and low and behold, try and find it on the secondary market and its gone whereas the 82 Bdx is in abundance- there are some smart drinkers out there! 1969 Lakes Folly and the 2002 Monfortino come to memory as some of the greatest wines I've had from really bad vintages.

Anyways, that was sort of my thread theme. 20 years on, pull them out and see what's performing. I have the 97 Craiglee shiraz and Mt Mary Quintet standing up for drinking, hope to see some of the forumites participating. We may discover a few gems.

2002 Montfortino is a legend in my mind

[Mahmoud Ali]

I recall the 1997 Moss Wood Cabernet being very, very nice a long time ago but have no idea how it might be faring now, though of course proper storage would be essential.

Mahmoud.

[tonsta]

Have a 1997 Leasingham Classic Clare shiraz on the tasting bench this weekend, will report how it looked.

[phillisc]

Didn't think there was anything much good from 97. It was acclaimed as a great SA riesling vintage as I recall, but they were all thoroughly dead within a decade. Well, almost. Good luck with that Petaluma; I expect it looks like a sauternes and tastes like sewing machine oil.
As for the reds, weren't we just in the midst of over-oaking everything back then?
cheers,
GG

Well there's a challenge...the last Petaluma 97 was about 12 months ago, acid, sweetness, fruit, very little kero and not close to the realms of Sauternes. I'll take your word for the Singer sewing machine oil...but none of that crossed my lips.
Once the dust has settled at work, I will dig one out along with the GW (thanks Jamie).
I also remember a mate of mine who is a developing a bit of a palate, saying a couple of years ago when I opened 2 97 Greenock Creeks, ( a 7 acre and a Creek Block) that they were right up there with the best wines he has tasted.

Cheers
Craig.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I now recall that much after having bought and cellared a handful of '96 Wynn's Black Label I came across a few bottles of the '97 and I know I have at least one bottle left. When I found and drank the '97s it was a little over a decade old and being from a weaker vintage I opened rather than cellared them. The bottles I opened drank rather well, improved with airing, and showed no signs of decline. Hence the remaining bottle to see how it will fare with more time.

Mahmoud.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Speaking of Petaluima Riesling, I still have a bottle of the 1992 vintage. When that wine was young (a case was specially ordered to be shared by friends) it was so dry and acidic that it flummoxed all of us who were more accustomed to German Rieslings. This Petaluma was my first Australian Riesling and it was so much drier than even the driest German. The sense of disappointment in the room was palpable and those who had already bought their bottles were slightly rueful and the last bottle of the case went begging. Anyway, the person who was keen on it and ordered the case tried to explain that it was a cellaring style and so it is still with me and is my oldest Australian Riesling and still waiting for the right occasion.

Mahmoud.

[TiggerK]

Speaking of Petaluima Riesling, I still have a bottle of the 1992 vintage. When that wine was young (a case was specially ordered to be shared by friends) it was so dry and acidic that it flummoxed all of us who were more accustomed to German Rieslings. This Petaluma was my first Australian Riesling and it was so much drier than even the driest German. The sense of disappointment in the room was palpable and those who had already bought their bottles were slightly rueful and the last bottle of the case went begging. Anyway, the person who was keen on it and ordered the case tried to explain that it was a cellaring style and so it is still with me and is my oldest Australian Riesling and still waiting for the right occasion.

Mahmoud.

Old Petaluma Riesling can be special, certainly the 86 and 90 opened my eyes in my formative wine tasting days. We had a 94/00/02/09/12 flight a few weeks back, sadly the two cork closed wines (94 and 00) both showed badly (old / awkward / oxidised), while the 02/09 and 12 under screwcap were aging exactly as you'd hope. The colour difference between the 00 and 02 was remarkable, although storage conditions may have also been a factor.

On the 97's, the Seppelt Great Western Shiraz 97 is pretty good, but not as good as the freakishly good 96 (sorry Mahmoud!). Lake's Folly 97 is a pretty good wine, but again, not as good as the 96.

[JamieBahrain]

Had another bottle of 1997 Craiglee Cabernet last night . Superb wine and showing more structure in place than the last and better complexity in a classic sense.

Does Pat still make the Cabernet ?

[felixp21]

1997 was a great year in Southern Victoria, including Sunbury.
Jamie, I have had the 14 Craiglee Cabernet, so they made it at least until then.

my favourite wine from 1997 (Australia) is the Sepplets Reserve Shiraz, an absolute ripper. Certainly better than the big guns from SA.
best value wine from that year was the 1997 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz, certainly over-performed for the vintage. Probably still delicious.

[George Krashos]

My prized 97 Petaluma Riesling bought when I was a poor Uni student was very average when drunk earlier this year.

-- George Krashos

[Bytown Rick]

best value wine from that year was the 1997 Leasingham Classic Clare Shiraz, certainly over-performed for the vintage. Probably still delicious.

I still have a few bottles in the cellar. Will give it a shot.

[Waiters Friend]

Many wineries release back vintages of their wines, sometimes in multi-vintage packs. However, it's rare for a winery to include a 20 year old Riesling in their back-vintage 3 pack. Howard Park did it recently with their 1997 Great Southern Riesling included. I look forward to trying it soon.

[WineRick]

Two Shiraz wines battled on the show circuit over the next few years, each winning multiple trophies

1997 Craiglee Shiraz (sunbury) &
1997 Seville Estate Shiraz (yarra valley)

I've had a poor run with the 1997 Seville Estate Shiraz (TCA several times). Haven't tried it recently, but (much) older Seville Estate bottles are sound, corks permitting.
The 1997 Craiglee Shiraz was best red wine at the 2003 Melbourne wine show. It continues to drink very well, and I'll broach one soon for community sake.

1997 Stanton & Killeen Vintage Port won at least 13 Gold medals and was regarded by winemaker - the late Chris Killeen -as very special, (mainly Shiraz but with 35% Portuguese varieties). It has plenty left in the tank, and has always looked wonderful.

Couldn't agree more about the '97 S & K VP - a stunner. Chris K. had given me a few bottles soon after bottling; I bought more once labelled, and it was served, to my delight, at the wake following his funeral. I bought another case at CD the next day.

[n4sir]

Couldn't agree more about the '97 S & K VP - a stunner. Chris K. had given me a few bottles soon after bottling; I bought more once labelled, and it was served, to my delight, at the wake following his funeral. I bought another case at CD the next day.

I remember you telling me about the 1997, and I ended up hunting one down to share with you - but I see you have managed to snare a few more since that conversation. Glad to have it happily snoozing in the cellar until that occasion arises.

[mychurch]

Last bottle tonight of the Katnook 1997 Prodigy Shiraz .
,a Jimmy Watson Winner. Cork was poor and crumbled, but after decanting the room filled up with ripe raspberries. This is painfully concentrated, with raspberry, dark chocolate and charcoal. It's richly textured and has a long finish. These is a touch of sourness as well though, so while it's impressive, it's not as fun as I was hoping for. Think it will open out through in the decanter and as it's a sipping wine, there should be plenty left for tomorrow.

[Redback]

1997 Craiglee Shiraz
Opened this last night. Cork was in great condition with stain only going a few mm. Redish/Purple with light sediment. Though label says 14.5%alc, this tasted a whole lot lighter. Hints of burnt oak, black pepper & Kalamata olives. Definitely in its drinking window with still a few more years to go. A great bottle from one of my favourite Victorian winemakers.

We enjoyed this bottle alongside a 2009 Craiglee. That was also great, but still a pup compared to the 97.

[phillisc]

OK so here we go...
1997 Seppelts GW Shiraz.
Amongst the obstacle course aka very disorganised cellar I knew there was box or 2 of these. Not tasted since purchase in 2000.
Perfect cork about 1mm of staining. Still a vibrant deep red with just a hint of browning on the edges. Decanted for an hour and the perfume of voilets, currants mixed spice and just the most wonderful aroma was intoxicating. Medium body on the palate...very little oak influence and very much primary fruit flavours. Tannins beautifully structured and seamless. Just wanted to drink more and more and bottle finished.
Simply perfect...not one for points but a contender for WOTY!
We could not decide if it was at its peak or has years to go...but another 10 or so bottles will determine that.
I have had most of the great SA and VIC Shiraz's over the years and 1 or 2 from the Hunter and this is right right up there. Outstanding bottle and a wonderful experience.
Cheers
Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

I had forgotten about this thread and the discussion about the 1997 Pirramimma Petit Verdot. SWJ-11 suggested I broach this wine and referred to a positive review in the Guardian to which I said I would look for the wine and open a bottle. I did opened a bottle last November and, forgetting about the 1997 thread posted it separately. Anyway, the wine was drinking very well, in full stride and showing no sign of slowing down.

Here is what I wrote in my post:

"Way back in 2001, when I was touring Australian wine areas, I visited Pirramimma in the McLaren Vale. It was there that I discovered and tasted my first 100% petit verdot wine. I was told that the winemaker, Geoff Johnston, had spent some time in Bordeaux where petit verdot, in warm vintages, played a cameo role in bordeaux blends. Petit verdot required a long and warm Bordeaux season in order to mature properly and as a result only made it into Bordeaux blends about three times a decade. Many chateaux had given up on petit verdot because it wasn't worth their while. Geoff Johnston got the idea that the McLaren Vale was ideally suited to ripen petit verdot. When he returned home to his family vineyard he planted perhaps some of Australia's first petit verdot.

The 1997 Petit Verdot was on tasting when I was at cellar door and I was mightily impressed. It was of course young, inky, and tannic, but offered so much potential that I buoght a few bottles to bring home to Canada. Tonight I opened my first bottle. Despite it being 20 years old, it was still youthful in its vigour, intensity, core of dark fruit, and grip. It required every bit of the osso bucco cut stewed beef to cut through the wine. A beefy, cherry-scented nose led to a palate of inky black fruit and a leathery, grippy finish. It is of course my first aged petit verdot and I have no idea how it will develop from here on, but I will say that it has rewarded my faith in it.

I've not had a recent vintage of this wine but if it is made in anything like the style the '97 I highly recommend that it be bought and cellared.

Cheers .................. Mahmoud.

PS: My better half, who was at cellar door with me, guessed new world and Australian, but could not identify the variety, dismissing Cabernet, Shiraz, Grenache, etc. Clearly the petit verdot is unique, even with 20 years of age."

SWJ-11, I think your 2007 Pirramimma PV still has some way to go.

Mahmoud.