The Noble Rotters April dinner was ostensibly themed “Hunter Valley – 1996 and earlierÂâ€Â, but the usual few exceptions made their appearance. Special guest Steliano Cusmiani from Bimbadgen wines brought us some starters (Wines are Hunter Valley unless stated otherwise);
2001 Bimbadgen Estate Semillon
Pale straw. A little sweet lemon on the nose, with some melon notes. The palate is quite luscious, in a light style. ThereÂ’s a little honey (its quite sweetish - 5g/l of residual sugar). The acid is soft yet still fresh, but I find the cumulative sweetness grows which tends to reduce enjoyment as further glasses are consumed. So-so
2000 Bimbadgen Estate Semillon
Straw colour. A very different aroma – almost has a fishy smell, with toasty overtones. Lots of acid. In an awkward stage. The primary fruit flavours are subsiding, but little in the way of secondary development has occurred. The texture is across most of the palate, yet the body is still quite light. Leave for a while.
1999 Bimbadgen Estate Semillon
Pale straw. A bit watery at first, this wine showed quite a flat dumb nose. The flavours are developed but muted – fruit is reticent. It’s either very dumb or slightly oxidized. Difficult to say much here, & we think this wine’s not quite right.
A mini-vertical followed:
1991 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
Mid yellow. There is some development of secondary toasty quasi-oaky notes, although the wine seems in something of a hole. Some soft lemon fruit remains but this wine is all about structure at the moment. The acid is very strong still, but not unless you look for it – something of a paradox! And the long finish bodes well. I think this wine needs another 5 years to build fully, although it’s not at all bad now.
1992 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
2 bottles of this. The first is a straw yellow, yet presents soapy vanillan flavours, and seems to have rather lost interest. Appears to be a wine in decline. The Aged Release, this spent itÂ’s first 5 years in Tyrrells own cellars. The 2nd bottleÂ’s label suggests a private bin wine which lived who-knows-where until I bought it in 98. This is a much darker yellow, yet has lovely toasty honey flavours and aromas. ItÂ’s still fresh, yet developed, and with super palate length. Weird!
1996 Tyrrells Vat 1 Semillon
Straw-coloured. A very raw green nose compared to the two older wines, this even displays distinct asparagus aromas. Very much at an awkward age, there’s acid a –plenty, but everything’s rather unintegrated at the moment. Good wine, but come back later.
1989 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chadonnay
Utterly and irretrievably overwhelmed by TCA
1994 Tyrrells Vat 47 Chardonnay
Mid yellow. Lovely rich nose, with mango and lanolin notes. The fruit is ripe yet taut, with understated oak nuances peering through. Wonderfully balanced palate from front to back, and nice medium weight finish. Lovely wine indeed.
Moving on to red wines...
2002 Bimbadgen Estate Shiraz
Subdued nose of sour cherries, graphite, & smoky French oak. [An all-Hunter blend of 36 different old-vine plots throughout the valley.] The palate is quite unholstered, with a rich sweetness to the fruit. Minimal grape tannins. Oak is submerged.
2000 Bimbadgen Estate Shiraz
The nose here is warmer, riper, with rich, slightly earthier Hunter notes. A good even palate with a moderate length and a nice finish. Elegant, sweet fruit – very good.
1999 Bimbadgen Estate Shiraz
Very subdued nose here, and apparently the product of a cooler harvest. There’s some earthiness, with a tinge of a vegetal nature about it. Lots of tannins here – a bit green perhaps, suggesting that fruit ripeness was something of an issue? Hard to peg this wine – perhaps it’ll lift with more time, but I fear it’ll just become increasingly skeletal.
1987 Lakes Folly Cabernet Blend
David(?) making good on his threat, brought this wine, fresh from 10 years of non-climate-controlled storage. There’s some distinct onion-skin colour at the rim. The bouquet presents lovely leathery old-fruit aromas. The palate is balanced very much towards the front and centre, and there’s almost no tannin left now – the back palate gets a bit of an easy ride here. Perhaps it’s sowing a little volatility now, but I think it’s very good. And it’s all of 11.8% abv. But if you don’t like the style…
2000 Peter Lehmann Eight Songs Shiraz (Barossa)
Older Hunters. How did this get here? Crimson red. After the last wine itÂ’s hugely jammy & confected, with almost a porty sweetness. Such rich fruit. Good wine, but a fish out of water tonight.
1997 Lindemans Bin 9403 Hunter Shiraz
Mid red. Lots of varnish, sweaty saddle, faint VA, Hunter nose. The palateÂ’s quite slippery, somewhat astringent, yet still manages to have a front-palate, tip-of-the-tongue weight bias. Will still hold, but I donÂ’t know that it will develop particularly well. I think the glory days are well gone for this label unless they change their vineyard sourcesÂ…
1992 Wilton Botrytis Semillon (Riverina)
deep gold. Holding well, the acid still marshalling the troops here, the candied botrytis fruit not stepping too far out of line. 10.5%alcohol, and very good. Does this label still exist or has it disappeared?
1983 Hardys Vintage Port (McLaren Vale)
Lots of warm brandy spirit here, with warm black fruits and dark chocolate aromas. A front palate wine, with plenty of warm spirity falvours. Good for an Oz VP, but rather hard to appraise properly at this late stage of the nightÂ…
Cheers,
Graeme