TN: Seppelt Mount Ida Shiraz 2003

[Waiters Friend]

This is the oldest Mount Ida I have tried. Tasted over two nights, and double decanted 2 hours before initial service. Purple / black in colour and quite dense.

Lifted nose, almost climbing out of the glass on the first night, with cinnamon, cloves and other spices, alongside developed plum and red fruits. Maybe a touch of VA? If so, this enhanced the wine (and I don't generally react that way). The palate was velvety, with freshening acid (for an 18 year old wine) and some palate weight for what is still a medium-bodied wine. Long finish.

2003 was (I believe) a warm vintage in Victoria, and not their best by a long way. This wine, however, at 18 years was impressive and showed a combination of elegance and power. I have collected most of the more recent vintages, and look forward to their evolution.

Cheers
Allan

[paulf]

I don't have experience with the Mount Ida, but I do own some Hanging rock Heathcote shiraz from 03 that took a long time to come around. It was well over a decade before it was anything other than stern and impenetrable, which hasn't been true of any of the other vintages I have owned of this wine

[Waiters Friend]

18 months on, and my last bottle of this wine.

Fruits are in the red and blue spectra, and still healthy after 19 years. As before, cloves and cinnamon spices are supporting, and the wine evolved really well in the glass, filling out after an initial suspicion of hollowlness. VA not present in this bottle (see previous TN).

A satisfying wine from a less-than-lauded vintage. If this is a lesser vintage (and the back label advises that it will improve over 10 years - it's now 19), then it's time to look at the younger vintages. 2012 especially awaits.

Cheers
Allan