TN: Seppelts St Peters Grampians Shiraz 2006

[Waiters Friend]

Everything you would expect from a St Peters. Dark brooding wine, lots of chocolate and dark plums on the nose. Integrated tannins and slightly slippery mouthfeel. Richly flavoured, without being too big.

Just entering its peak drinking, I would suggest and should hold for at least five years. These are great Shiraz.

Cheers
Allan

[Mark Carrington]

Timely & interesting note.
I have a single bottle of St. Peter’s - the ‘04, brought back from Oz. The wine is unavailable in UK: very little Seppelt makes its way here nowadays. (Particularly frustrating is the absence of Drumborg Riesling. We have to make do with Grosset).
I think it’s about time to open the ‘04 & I’ll earmark for a gathering of Ozphiles set for October.

[JamieBahrain]

St Peters was the rock star of the forums on release a decade or so ago. How are people people finding it now? With the brutal honesty of cellaring?

[felixp21]

Jamie, I still have the 1997 Seppelt GW Reserve shiraz 1997. I think this might have been the precursor to the St Peters the following vintage???
Anyway, that particular wine is now fully mature and drinking beautifully (last time I had it a year or so ago)
Although from Victoria, it actually reminds me of a high-quality, mature Hunter Shiraz as compared to something from SA.

[Dang]

Went down to the cellar and there it was: a '99 St Peters. Maybe a good bet for New Year dinner? Or should I wait?

[JamieBahrain]

I still have the 1997 Seppelt GW Reserve shiraz 1997.

Yeah stunner. I tried early in the piece and was unemployed and looked at six of them for a year in the local Cole's cabinet wishing I had a job.

I found St Peters a little more "worked" than the traditional GW lineage. Could be wrong just vague recollections from 15 + years ago.

[Waiters Friend]

It was an offline in Melbourne a few years ago that brought the St Peters to my attention. I think the 1999 was WOTN, closely followed by a similar vintage (97 or 2001).

I've had the 2010, and, although way too young, shows potential to be fabulous at 15-20 years of age. That's why I cracked a 2006 at Christmas, to see how it was travelling. I have vintages around that age as well, and it will be interesting to watch them over time. Oldest I have currently is 2001, and my one bottle of this may see its demise soon.

Cheers
Allan

[Dang]

Thanks Allan!
If I crack that '99, it might require a change of plan. I will let you know how it fares.

[cuttlefish]

I’m opening a 1998 Reserve, and a 2001 St Peters in the next day or two, so I’ll try to keep a track and post notes here. I’m hoping/expecting they’ll be in the zone...

[cuttlefish]

Cracked the 1998 earlier this evening, and unfortunately its suffering from faint TCA. There’s no doubt about the qualiry of the wine underneath, though; sour cherry fruit and pepper. The mild TCA is a constant distraction. Bummer !

[Waiters Friend]

Cracked the 1998 earlier this evening, and unfortunately its suffering from faint TCA. There’s no doubt about the qualiry of the wine underneath, though; sour cherry fruit and pepper. The mild TCA is a constant distraction. Bummer !

Damn! I was looking forward to your TN. I'll have to crack my 2001 soon and post.

[Dang]

Opened the '99 St Peters for New Year'eve dinner with the wife! Perfect cork, no stains, great legs in the decanter, sediments fused together into chunks, purple red rim. The nose showed up only one hour of airing (should have been more vigorous spinning) and displayed the usual fruit, eucalyptus, anise shiraz combination with notes of charcutery, tobacco and root vegetable. Lovely and complex, yet not overbearing. The palate was a fusion of all above flavours, the tannin ever so gentle, the acidity cutting through our pan fried steak. Three hours later we still enjoyed little sips while cheering for the New Year. What a way to celebrate 2019 with a wonderful and almost 20yo wine! A bit to early to call this wine of the year 2019.

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks for posting this Dang. It sounds like everything we should expect from a St Peters.

Cheers
Allan

[JamieBahrain]

It sounds like everything we should expect from a St Peters.

Yes, shiraz with a Victorian regional stamp on it ! That 99 sounds great and I'm glad to hear.

[phillisc]

Thanks for thread Allan, outside a few SA faves St Peters is top of the tree for me. Got on the Seppelts train early with a good run from 90-99 (great western Shiraz to 97 and St Peters 98 onward, but after the 02 vintage for some reason had a break, but purchased 10, 12, 13, 14 and 16 vintages.
Think most of these vintages are a 30 year proposition, Adam Carmody (current winemaker) certainly thinks so.
Cheers
Craig

[Waiters Friend]

An update from a couple of years ago. The fruits have definitely entered a secondary phase, and there's a touch of leather where more of the chocolate used to be. The dark plums noticeable in 2018 are starting to trend towards red berries instead. There's a little more apparent dryness on the palate, with corresponding reduction in juiciness. The finish is very long indeed.

These notes might sound like a wine in decline - however, the transformations are very slow and gradual, and the wine has by no means dropped its fruit or otherwise entered the downward slide. Very satisfying now (and even better with food), and will hold another 5 years easily.

[Michael McNally]

Thanks Allan. Have one of these in the cellar; might be time for a look.

cheers

Michael

[Waiters Friend]

An update from my last update a year ago. And it surprised me.

The nose shows lots of chocolate and stewed plums. The previously noted trend towards red fruits isn't happening in this bottle. There's signs of development (it IS a 15 year old wine, after all), but on the nose, this is looking like a wine half its age.

The palate is similar. There are drying tannins, but there's some juiciness as well, and the acid is refreshing and in no way hard. The fruit slides over the palate, and there's a bit of glycerol texture as well. Long, long finish. Excellent St Peters from a good vintage in Victoria.

Which poses two questions:

1. Bottle variation? This is from the same six pack purchased at the same time as the last bottle opened, and they're under screwcap.
2. At what age do you start drinking these wines? I have most vintages forward to 2019 (and a couple of older ones), and don't want to open them too early.

Cheers
Allan

[JamieBahrain]

Great first question Allan. Hopefully we can approach it in a way that doesn’t see partisan cork v screw cap politics.

If it is variation it removes a major pro of screw cap and those invested in the seal need to understand better how their wines age. I’m finding with whites I’m getting stationary evolution for years, frustrating as I waste bottles and then bam, perfect wine! And I do mean perfect in relation to what was expected.

It could also be a concern some have posted about the uneven development of red wine under screw cap. Fresh aromatics, more evolved palate and out of kilter structure- all in all not positive for regular drinkers of aged wine. Though perhaps less of a concern for the market?

Many of us have cellars loaded with wines of similar vintage ( CT revealing I’ve a six pack of 04 ). More and more notes are about to appear and we will see just where we are with screw cap as a long term seal for wine.

[Alex F]

I too back the idea of bottle variation under screw cap.

[phillisc]

2001 Seppelts St Peters Shiraz
Festooned with more bling than Mr T...6 trophies or whatever.
First of a sixer, cork stained halfway up but at 20 years, done its job.
Still a little inky black, dark purple colour

Dark core of plush fruit on the nose, mixed spice, dusty aromas
Palate was rich, long, savoury with lovely fruit centre, oak all absorbed with drying chalky tannins.
Think this has another five years of development, very good bottle.

Cheers Craig