TN: 1998 Tollana TR222 Eden Valley Cabernet Sauvignon

[n4sir]

1998 Tollana TR222 Cabernet Sauvignon, Eden Valley (cork): Medium to dark garnet colour. I didn't have much luck with my previous two bottles, but this one was great: a medium garnet colour, opening with capsicum, peppermint and cigarette ash; the palate is medium-weight and velvety with blackcurrants and a lick of liquorice on the finish. It should hold a few more years on this form – corks permitting.

Cheers,
Ian

[dlo]

I still have a few of these myself. Never had a bad one. Luck of the draw I suppose, Ian.

[tos]

It was a good wine and glad it is still holding ... like the 1998 Pewsey Vale Cab Sauv - wonder if anyone still has any/has had one recently?

[Petros]

I was interested to read this post as I had a couple of these fellas tucked away.I had opened a bottle about 5 years ago and wasn't overly impressed. It was a bit disjointed and a little sharp. we had another tonight after reading n4sir's post. The cork was in excellent condition with a bit of sediment attached. The nose was of nice clean and still pretty lively fruit, with just a hint of bottle age. I decanted for about for about an hour and a half and served it up with Osso Bucco. This wine has really come together. It was so smooth and succulent with soft cassis and just a touch of aniseed at the back. I think this is at it best right now.
Cheers
Pete

[daz]

Sadly, another label the beancounters at Southmount deleted with no care at all for the consumer.

[Waiters Friend]

Sadly, another label the beancounters at Southmount deleted with no care at all for the consumer.

Ah, apparently Tollana is now back as a label, but drawing on fruit / wine well beyond its Eden Valley origins. I saw a review for a Tollana Mornington Peninsula Pinot the other day - not the location nor grape variety you would have expected from the 'old' Tollana

[daz]

Sadly, another label the beancounters at Southmount deleted with no care at all for the consumer.

Ah, apparently Tollana is now back as a label, but drawing on fruit / wine well beyond its Eden Valley origins. I saw a review for a Tollana Mornington Peninsula Pinot the other day - not the location nor grape variety you would have expected from the 'old' Tollana

Yeah, I knew the label had been resurrected but Mornington Peninsula pinot? Who knows where the juice of the grapes from the original Tollana vineyards goes now. The riesling, chardonnay and shiraz were usually pretty good but the TR222 cab was the icon wine for me. At a bit cheaper level, the Seaview label used to be even more a favourite of mine, the shiraz my pick though the rest of the wines I tried under the label were good quality. The only one to survive under the Seaview label that I'm aware of is the cheap-as-chips white bubbles but there was a line of vintage chard only and pinot chard that was pretty good but it also seems to have disappeared.

[Waiters Friend]

Sadly, another label the beancounters at Southmount deleted with no care at all for the consumer.

Ah, apparently Tollana is now back as a label, but drawing on fruit / wine well beyond its Eden Valley origins. I saw a review for a Tollana Mornington Peninsula Pinot the other day - not the location nor grape variety you would have expected from the 'old' Tollana

Yeah, I knew the label had been resurrected but Mornington Peninsula pinot? Who knows where the juice of the grapes from the original Tollana vineyards goes now. The riesling, chardonnay and shiraz were usually pretty good but the TR222 cab was the icon wine for me. At a bit cheaper level, the Seaview label used to be even more a favourite of mine, the shiraz my pick though the rest of the wines I tried under the label were good quality. The only one to survive under the Seaview label that I'm aware of is the cheap-as-chips white bubbles but there was a line of vintage chard only and pinot chard that was pretty good but it also seems to have disappeared.

I agree with you Daz about the riesling and the TR16 Shiraz. These and the TR222 are a part of my (self imposed) wine education through the 90s. Like the Pewsey Vale Cabernet referred to, however, the originals would most likely be well past it. No idea where the original fruit now goes, nor where the majority of the current 'labels' are sourced from (apart from the pinot of course ).

The real vinous pearl in the Tollana range for me was the botrytis riesling. I inherited a friend's wine collection a couple of years ago, and imagine my distress at pouring bottles of the 1990 down the sink

[Mahmoud Ali]

Daz wrote:

"The only one to survive under the Seaview label that I'm aware of is the cheap-as-chips white bubbles but there was a line of vintage chard only and pinot chard that was pretty good but it also seems to have disappeared."

When I was in Australia last winter (your winter) Vintage Cellars was selling a range of Seaview wines dedicated to Italian varieties, Barbera, Nebbiolo, Vermentino, and Fiano. I thought they were pretty good, and the labels were very retro. You should give them a try if you can find them.

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

[Mike Hawkins]

Wow - a walk down memory lane ! I had forgotten about Tollana. The 1988 TR16 shiraz was one of the wines that got me started......

Mike

[fred]

1998 TR222 drinking pretty well and the TR16 shiraz is also holding up ok.

The real beauties of the old Tollana range were the occasional Reserve shiraz - made infrequently but many classes superior to the standard TR16.

There was a rumour that a Reserve 1996 and 1998 were to be made but the fruit went elsewhere in the Fosters group (for much greater financial return).

I think that you will find that the fruit no longer comes from Eden valley exclusively even for the CS and shiraz (and did not since about 1996). The 1998 is a decent wine but not that distinctive Eden fruit to which I was mildly addicted.

A friend of mine ios now in charge of making the pinot under this label and you will be unsurprised to hear that it is a very good drop indeed.

regards

[markg]

Thanks Ian.. This wine and vintage brings back very fond memories, used to be one of my favourite wines and would love to open it with Spag bol or Lasagne. I used to have qute a few but dont have any left now.. Will keep my eye out but they rarely come up to auction these days.