St Peters 2003 - Opinions requested

[Ratcatcher]

I know I could search but I did and came up with a zillion threads and many contained 20+ posts so I'm too lazy to read through them all.

Was 2003 a great vintage of St Peters Shiraz?

I gather 2004 was in a different league altogether but was 2003 pretty good in it's own right? How did it compare to 2001 and 2002.

JH gave it 94 and also gave the 2003 Chalambar 94. Is that a fair comparison?

[Alex F]

yes... 2003 is regarded as a very good vintage for st peters, as is 2002.

I have only had the 2004 and it was very smart indeed, but my impression from reviews is that maybe the 2004 is better... but not exceedly better.

[platinum]

I have the 02 and 04 about equal with the 02 having more fruit power due to miniscule yields and the 04 having great fruit purity and a long long future. The 03 not quite as outstanding but still excellent.

[707]

Haven't done them side by side but both the 2002 and 2003 were very impressive wines and both tiny production I believe.

Didn't they both rate highly in their respective release years in "Wines of the Year" type quizes on various forums?

[Craig(NZ)]

had both. didnt like the 03 first time i tried but did second time. 02 is gorgeous!!

[Ratcatcher]

Thanks for the comments.

I bit the bullet and bought one. My local had the 03 for $43. They didn't have any 04 out the back, I did ask. The local BWS has the 04 for $64.

I rarely go over low $20's due to budgetary constraints but though this would be worth splashing out on. On the plus side I know it won't be corked. Nothing worse than buying one special bottle and it being a dud.

[MartinE]

Thanks for the comments.

I bit the bullet and bought one. My local had the 03 for $43. They didn't have any 04 out the back, I did ask. The local BWS has the 04 for $64.

I rarely go over low $20's due to budgetary constraints but though this would be worth splashing out on. On the plus side I know it won't be corked. Nothing worse than buying one special bottle and it being a dud.

TNs on 03 St Peters

Winestar
The St peters label is building itself a very impressive list of consistently outstanding wines. Despite the experts opinions, I rate both the 1999 and 2001 ahead of the monster 2002 (this may change in 10 years time). The 2003 I also rate the 2003 higher than the 2002. Approachability is the key - despite these wines being built for the long haul. Given the wines will sell out in an instant, they don't really need more accolades

WFM
Seppelt St Peters Great Western Shiraz 2003: The
quality just keeps coming – in time I may even like this
more than the 2002. Incredibly fruit bright. Lush texture
and aromatics. Cedary oak, but balanced, with bursts of black pepper and spice crushing through the mulberried, earthen, layered fruit. Outstanding. To be released in September 2005. Drink: 2005-2020. 95 points.

2003 Seppelt St Peters Shiraz: A deep, dark and rather closed shiraz steeped in flavour and oozing potential. Its spicy, spearmint-like aroma of dark plums and cherries overlies tightly integrated cedar/chocolate oak, over nuances of charcuterie-like reductive complexity and dried herbs. Firm and substantial, it’s tight-knit and fine-grained, a searingly concentrated expression of blackberries, blueberries and cassis that saturates the palate before persisting long after. Its acids are exceptional. There are signs of softness and creaminess, but this will take time to mature fully. (Great Western, $60 retail, approx., 19.0/96, drink 2015-2023) Jeremy Oliver, OnWine

A long-term Great Western shiraz whose profound depth of flavour and superbly firm, fine-grained extract will enable it to live and improve in the bottle for many years. Closed and brooding, its deep, dark and spicy aromas reveal layers of dark berries, cherries and plums tightly knit with exotic spices cedary and dark chocolate-like oak. Full to medium in weight, the wine’s deep, slightly meaty and profoundly concentrated expression of meaty, briary dark fruit and cedar/dark chocolate oak builds steadily on the palate, culminating in a powerful, measured and superbly integrated finish supported by a superlative extract of powdery tannin. It’s less showy than the delightfully overt 2002 release, but will more than last the distance. (Great Western, $60 retail, approx., 19.2/97, drink 2023-2033) Jeremy Oliver, OnWine


AK 10/05
Seppelt St. Peter's Shiraz 2003
Deep opaque purple. Gorgeous aromas on the nose just draws you in. The palate is a bit fuller than medium-bodied to full, with intense and lush mulberry fruit, earth, anise, milk chocolate and freshly ground cracked pepper. Some toffee oak too but much less obvious than 2002. Layers of complexity even at this young stage. Tannins are fine but assertive. And the structure in this wine, very well held together. All before a long, lingering finish. An excellent example of the St. Peter's style. At this stage in time, already showing better integration than the 2002. Rest 6-8 years.

NevK 9/05
Seppelts St Peters Shiraz 2003
Not Blind.- Light elegant colour; spicy dark fruits, sour cherry, aniseed, lovely sweet fruit married with a vevety astringent finish. A given six pack buy. Too easy. The real deal.
Seppelts St Peters Shiraz 2003
Blind - More powerful and astringent, spicy pettilant, elegant cool climate shiraz. Very good. Very lovely. Very long.

RicE 8/05
Seppelt 2003 St Peters Shiraz is years away from release and the wine sample, although blended, is still an incomplete barrel sample. This wine is more elegant than the previous wine, the Bendigo Shiraz, and even though it’s muscular in weight, the tannins are ultra fine grained and smooth already. The pure fruit shines through like a beacon and the harmonious complexity produces red berry, blackcurrant, pepper, chocolate and so much more flavour which totally fills the palate and has great length. At the same time, the tight elegant structure shows it’s complex sophistication. This is a wine to look out for; it’s pure class and has the structure to match its fruit purity. Rated as Excellent already, I am confident the rating will improve. It certainly makes a statement! The bad news is that only about 1,000 cases have been produced.

RudyW 9/05
Dark purple, solid core, little colour dissipation at rim. Hue is robust, a swirl reveals medium legs, fine extract remains on glass rim. The nose is now starting to open, initially when double decanted, “no” bouquet was released, which shows how tightly wound the wine is. On the nose the wine is dominated by blood plum, sour cherry, blackberries, and heavy cedary oak. It’s a tight bouquet, precise but unyielding to the 4 hour’s of air. On the palate, again the message is that of a shy tight wine, it enters the palate spectrum with blackfruits, a hint of unfamiliar mint, espresso and liquorice. The wine finishes with a heavy dose of acid which adds to the length. Tannins are built for the future in that they are tight and very dense. All in all this is a quality wine, which will take at least 5-10 yrs to realize the sum of its inputs……………94points.

[Alex F]

ah great work... much appreciated.