TN: 1998 Charles Cimicky 'Daylight Chambers' Grenache

[Mahmoud Ali]

1998 Charles Cimicky 'Daylight Chambers' Grenache, Barossa Valley (14.5%)

The day I visited the Charles Cimicky cellar door the person serving us apologized in advance in case she had to abandon us for a period. The winery had experienced a break in on the weekend and a fair amount of their reserve Shiraz had been stolen. A TV channel news crew from Adelaide, arriving by helicopter to make a report, was expected imminently. The theft did not put a dent on their other wines, in particular the fabulous Daylight Chamber Grenache, made from 94 year-old bush vines.

We were so taken by this wine that we did not take a chance on finding it Sydney and bought some on the spot. It was not only dark and deep fruited, It also had depth and structure. Now almost two decades afterwards this wine is singing. I had not been thinking of taking this bottle out but I noticed that it had a low fill and there was quite a lot of crust around the neck. Held up to the light the colour appeared light and there was heavy sediment.

Cimicky Daylight-1.jpg

Cimicky Daylight-2.jpg

Cimicky Daylight-3.jpg

Upon opening the bottle, the nose was sweet, almost ethereal, and perfumed. I decided that it was ready and did not need much airing so I stoppered the bottle and put it in the fridge to chill for about a half hour, decanting it just before sitting down to dinner - grilled marinated chicken breast, baked yams, mashed potatoes, and sauteed mushrooms. The bouquet from the glass was equally compelling and the palate captivating. The sweetness on the palate was more akin to ripe, fleshy, grilled tomatoes, and the savoury, herbal finish was silken. There were no tannins to speak of and the palate expansive, broad, and lingering. Interestingly it got meatier as time went on. This could be have been had without food had we wished. We loved it.

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

PS: As we walked through the parking lot towards our car the news helicopter landed almost adjacent to the winery

[Hunter]

Beautiful colour Mahmoud. I was lucky enough to attend a well known barossa winemakers 40th birthday this year and some old cimicky shiraz was on the table. Stunning wines. Very underlooked producer

[phillisc]

Wow, there's a blast from the past. I remember buying Cimicky signature Shiraz and Cabernet in the late 80s and early 90s and the odd reserve bottling. All around mid teens per bottle. They were excellent drinking. Just out of interest, did the signature Shiraz change over to autograph Shiraz due to Yalumba trademarking the word signature?
Cheers Craig

[Mahmoud Ali]

Hi Craig,

I think you're right about Cimicky having to change the name. A quick browse brought me to an article in Adelaide Now but it happens to be for members only. However, from the search engine is this brief tag line:

"Yalumba and Pernod Ricard in court fight over use of the word 'signature' on wine labels. Steve ... owned by the Hill-Smith family — has taken its dispute with Pernod Ricard to the Federal ... "

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