Superb Australian Rose: 1998 Charles Melton 'Rose of Virginia' (and others)

[Mahmoud Ali]

Woke up this morning (Sunday) a little worse for wear, spotted a brandy snifter on the bedside table and thought "Did we get into some single malt last night?"

The damage the night before, from right to left:

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N/V Gosset Brut Grande Reserve (12%) - gold hues, somewhat flat, a bit lacklustre, and clearly with some age; I didn't get the usual champagne brioche and plumped for new world sparkling or maybe a blanc de blanc. My friend conceded that it was likely shopworn when he bought it some years ago; we agreed that it probably was light/heat affected. It was not so badly affected that it wasn't palatable.
1998 Pol Roger Extra Cuvee de Reserve (12%) - similar gold hue, a light mousse, but powerful and full; this had the immediate presence of brioche and yeast, with everyone immediately picking it as vintage champagne. As it warmed up it started to get bigger and offer honeyed tones. There was a difference of opinion about longevity; the friend who brought the Gossset thinking it had the structure for another five years while the rest of us thought it was good to go right now.
2018 Tio Pepe Fino 'En Rama' (15%) - lovely with the beef bouillion, green onions and smoked duck breast, it has developed favourably over the past year, the dry flinty quality giving way to a more rounded, somewhat fuller profile.
1998 Charles Melton 'Rose of Virginia', Barossa (12%) - this was so dark-hued that my friends said they would not have guessed it to be a rose. Indeed, over the years this has gotten darker. This rose is made of grenache and cabernet, it was so vinuously firm and powerful that one person thought it might be a mourvedre rose from Bandol, France; meanwhile the other half guessed Australian, and that it might be a cabernet rose. When I asked her why she thought it was Australian she said it reminded her of the Rose of Virginia. Bingo! I think She's a keeper. This rose is in such good shape it has almost turned into a red wine, strawberry scented, herbal and mineral notes, and a dry, savoury finish with good acidity to keep it fresh. A 21 year-old rose and a standout! Why keep it so long? Every one of the half dozen bottles I have drunk over the years has been fresh, tasty, and in no danger of falling over. Eventually I needed to see if it would get to the 20-year mark in one piece.
[I pulled it out of the cellar last year for the two decade mark and it had been in the fridge for most of my summer and for some reason an occasion nver came up. Then it came out for the winter. This was a belated birthday dinner for the one I'm going to keep and when it came time to open it I noticed that the cork was starting to protude which was a worry. However it came out easily and all in one piece, and moist to the top except for the protruding part. The cork is clearly a good one and it has the winery name and logo stamped on it.]
2003 George Deboeuf Julienas, Beaujolais (12.5%) - this was a last minute decision because we thought the Chateauneuf was too big for the roasted cornish rock hen; it was so dark in colour and sweet-fruited that there was a couple of guesses for new world pinot and one for Spanish grenache. I had expected it to be lighter in colour and far more advanced and tertiary, perhaps it was the vintage; this is a big Beaujolais and seemingly uncharacteristic for a 15 year-old.
1999 Clos de l'Oratoire des Papes, Chateauneuf-du-Pape (13.5%) - this one is bold, intense, and nowhere near ready. It was opened for the roasted cornish rock hen but was too big so I opened the Fleurie at the last moment. Instead we had it with the lamb steaks. This wine has not yet unfurled, it is brooding and still needs coaxing, the tannins ripe but ever present. I'm not sure of the blend but I would guess it had mourvedre in it due to the mineral and herb elements. I hope my 2000 bottle of this turns out as good as this one.
1997 Torres 'Mas la Plana' Cabernet Sauvignon, Penedes (13.5%) - a Bordeaux look-alike that is quite ready to drink. It had lots of tertiary development, plenty of earth and a hint of manure, the tannins fully resolved. Not a heavy- hitter but very nice indeed.
2003 E & E 'Black Pepper' Shiraz, Barossa (15%) - this was very Barossan, in good nick, and not at all overwrought; it had a sweet aspect but was balanced with a savoury edge as well. Not normally my cup of tea in terms of style but this made a good account of itself and went well with the lamb.
1984 Mas Amiel 'Cuvee Speciale', Maury (17%) - here, if not a little earlier, things get a little hazy; this was of course sweet, but for some reason I had expected it to be more port-like, like a bottle several years ago. This one seemed plumper, sweeter, molassas-like, and had less of a savoury, tannic edge; it was nonetheless a delight to drink with some bread and blue cheese.

I don't remember much after that .............. Mahmoud.

PS: We carefully poured two small glasses from the unstoppered bottle of the Charles Melton rose the next evening and it was still drinking well: lighty red-fruited, dry, and with a savoury edge. It confirms for me that Melton's rose is truely one of Australia's finest rose (on both of my visits to cellar door he has been sold out of the rose). Every bottle of the '98 has been superb since the day we found a half dozen bottles in the outside fridge of an Adelaide [Edit: I'm sorry, it was in McLaren Vale] drive-through bottle shop back in 2001, from the first bottle on a picnic table in the local campground where we were staying right through to this last bottle (sigh!).

[mychurch]

Nice notes Mahmoud.

Not had a Rose of Virginia for a while, but I was always a fan. For all it’s supposed simplicity, the stylistic differences between Roses really does make it interesting. Do you actually think that the 98 has improved over the years ? Would you cellar a recent vintage fit that length of time, or drink them young ?

[Ian S]

Fantastic. Somehow the thought has become established, that cellaring wines must be big (in structure, or simply body), yet so many lighter wines can impress like long-distance runners, overtaking the muscled sprinters. If the acidity is good, many will surprise in their longevity.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Nice notes Mahmoud.
Thanks.

Not had a Rose of Virginia for a while, but I was always a fan. For all it’s supposed simplicity, the stylistic differences between Roses really does make it interesting. Do you actually think that the 98 has improved over the years ? Would you cellar a recent vintage fit that length of time, or drink them young ?

I wouldn't say the 1998 has improved so much as it has afforded pleasure all along the way. We had the first bottle at the campground we were staying at in the McLaren Vale. We only bought a single bottle because it was a back vintage in the fridge of a drive through. We were so taken by the wine, its clarity, complexity, and freshness, that we went back the next day and bought the rest. We drank another one or two on the rest of our drive, another in Sydney, and the remaining few in Canada. Each bottle, along its evolution, provided something different. Yes, the early bottles were simplistic if you like, in the rose kind of way, but within was a depth of character that made it noticeable.

I do not know if Melton makes it the same way so I am not one to ask about how long to cellar current examples. The only way to find out is to buy a half dozen and drink it over time, assessing it as best you can as you go along. Believe me, I am no expert on aging roses, but this one so impressed me, gaining weight along the way, that I felt compelled to hold off on opening subsequent bottles.

Mahmoud.