The Aussie Fortified Thread…

[Con J]

Had this 1971 Seabrook made by Chambers last Friday, drinking well with with no chance of falling over anytime soon.

Cheers Con.

[Alex F]

I drank the last of my bottles of Peter Lehmann's The King Vintage Port 1996. I remember buying these as a special direct for $12 a bottle. The wine is still stunning with intense fruit, crushed ants, finishing very long. No hurry to drink.

I picked up a bottle of the 2000 a few years ago to see what Aussie VP might be about (it's the oldest of three VP's I have being Rockford VP Shiraz and Kalleske JMK Shiraz VP). I had murdered a 2008 Rockford SVP a few years ago, too young even to call it vinfantcide and had since read that VP's need 20 years minimum so resolved to open the Lehmann next year. Any thoughts on whether that's okay or whether I should really give it more time?

I haven't drunk enough ports to know anything about the style of The King. In general, my understanding is that 2000 was not a good vintage and I am sure port houses would not have declared vintage ports in a year like 2000. I guess I would expect the wine to be more red-fruited and lighter bodied, and I would happily drink the bottle now if it didn't have sentimental value. FWIW the current vintage in the shops seems to be a 2002, will probably open one in a few weeks and will report back if I do.

Crushed ants?

I think thats what was said to describe the first Grange presented to the directors of Penfold's before they forbade Max Schubert from making any more.

One of the lesser known acids responsible for VA is formic acid. Many species of ants contain formic acid. I think that's where the term crushed ants as a wine descriptor originated from. It's more about the smell than anything else.

A crushed ant smells sweet, in a feral/decaying way. I don't get it much in dry reds as I am not in the habit of drinking Grange but some old ports definitely have this sweetness mixed with spice/volatility that borders on an uncomfortable edge for my tastes. I tend to prefer ports that go caramel and chocolaty with age.

[Alex F]

Galway Pipe Grand Tawny NV - Average age of 12 years. Nice enough but I don't think it's worth the price they are charging. Some nice rancio notes on the nose but the palate is a little bit hollow for a tawny port with the 'grand' designation.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I haven't drunk enough ports to know anything about the style of The King. In general, my understanding is that 2000 was not a good vintage and I am sure port houses would not have declared vintage ports in a year like 2000. I guess I would expect the wine to be more red-fruited and lighter bodied, and I would happily drink the bottle now if it didn't have sentimental value. FWIW the current vintage in the shops seems to be a 2002, will probably open one in a few weeks and will report back if I do.

I am a little confused since "port houses" and "declarations" are terms used for Portuguese companies and the years when they declare that they believe they have the quality to declare a vintage port. Peter Lehmann makes vintage port but I would never consider them a port house. The 2000 vintage was very good in the Douro and I believe most port houses made a declaration.

As for the vintage in Australia I suspect that whereas it might not be a good vintage for red wines it might be very different for port. I would presume that since Lehmann makes their VP to last 21 years that the 2000 The King, which likely has A.D. 2021 on the label, is still okay to keep a bit longer.

Cheers …………………………… Mahmoud.

[Alex F]

I haven't drunk enough ports to know anything about the style of The King. In general, my understanding is that 2000 was not a good vintage and I am sure port houses would not have declared vintage ports in a year like 2000. I guess I would expect the wine to be more red-fruited and lighter bodied, and I would happily drink the bottle now if it didn't have sentimental value. FWIW the current vintage in the shops seems to be a 2002, will probably open one in a few weeks and will report back if I do.

I am a little confused since "port houses" and "declarations" are terms used for Portuguese companies and the years when they declare that they believe they have the quality to declare a vintage port. Peter Lehmann makes vintage port but I would never consider them a port house. The 2000 vintage was very good in the Douro and I believe most port houses made a declaration.

As for the vintage in Australia I suspect that whereas it might not be a good vintage for red wines it might be very different for port. I would presume that since Lehmann makes their VP to last 21 years that the 2000 The King, which likely has A.D. 2021 on the label, is still okay to keep a bit longer.

Cheers …………………………… Mahmoud.

Sorry, I wasn't clear. When I was talking about port houses I was indeed referring to the Portuguese companies, however, when I said 2000 I was referring to the South Australian vintage in general. I am not of the opinion that a 19 year old red from 2000 is worth seeking out, so I am not sure why I should think differently about an Australian fortified vintage red from 2000. On one hand I admire the dedication of Peter Lehmann to make this port every year, but on the other I can't help but wonder why they don't just skip problematic vintages. Surely they have enough stock of the other vintages to tide them over.

[scribbler]

1998 Stanton and Killeen Vintage (port) 18%
At 21 years of age, this Rutherglen fortified is still very youthful. It has 1 gold and 5 silver medals to its credit and composition is 26% Shiraz, 26% Touriga, 20% Durif, 13% tinta cao, 13% tinta barocca, and 2% Cabernet Sauvignon; a mix of “traditional Australian”, and Portuguese varieties. Remarkably, the wine is still available – with many other vintages- on the Stanton and Killeen website.

The cork emerged well, and in excellent condition. The colour is outstanding fot its age, a very dense dark black crimson, and there is an exciting range of aromas- dark liqueur cherry, almond-meal, blueberry, mulberry, and spice notes The quality of (brandy) spirit is excellent, and has integrated well. The palate is sweeter than Portuguese versions, but certainly drier than most Australian attempts. The palate is full-bodied but very supple, showing a lingering mix of black and red fruits, red liquorice and fine chalky tannins. Above all, it is deliciously drinkable, with many years ahead.

1986 Stanton and Killeen Vintage Port
Served blind, this wine was bricky in colour, showing sweet mocha notes, dried fruits and citrus peel. The spirit was sweet; the palate was also sweet, soft and mellow, and seemed Australian in style. The milk chocolate and plum flavours suggested Victorian origins, and my conclusion “around 30 years old, Victorian, Shiraz” turned out to be reasonably accurate. (95% Shiraz, 5% durif). But drink soon!

[Alex F]

Two half bottles over the long weekend.

Seppelt Cleanskin 375ml Vintage Port 1998 - Unbelievable what $6 per half bottle got you. These have now reached their peak (or are slightly beyond as the finish is drying out somewhat). Very complex, mouthfilling, not overtly sweet. Spice, plums, dried fruit. Lovely.

Stanton and Killeen Vintage 2006 - Sweet. Did show some promise on the spice and acid department, but I think that with more age this will stay sweet on the start and sour on the finish, with hollowness in between as the red fruit dominant palate fades. Unless it is in a dead phase, I am not convinced I will be finding more of these to cellar. Do not recall much tannin either.

[phillisc]

Wynns Pedro Ximenez, a first release, rich unctuous just yum, sweet but not cloying. Might take another bottle down to Coonawarra this weekend.
Cheers Craig

[George Krashos]

Wynns Pedro Ximenez, a first release, rich unctuous just yum, sweet but not cloying. Might take another bottle down to Coonawarra this weekend.
Cheers Craig

Saw this in the local DMs. Must grab some.

[paulf]

Andrew Buller Wines Cannobie 30 year old tawny

Attractively packaged 500 ml bottle.
There's some rancio character on the nose with a touch of marzipan, toffee sweet spice and a touch of rose water. The spirit is clean and it is initially fairly sweet (as is the case with most Australian Tawny). You catch the toffee again on the palate and the floral rose petal character is also there before more assertive citrus flavours of burnt orange and lemon hit you on the sides of the tongue and linger to provide a long finish.

It's perhaps a little less dense than I would have expected for its age, but that might be reflective of the house style. There is a muscat and a Topaque that are both fairly floral and light on their feet as well.
At just under $30 at cellar door, this would have a claim to being the best value fortified in Australia right now.

[Con J]

1964 McWilliams Vintage Port

Made from Shiraz grapes grown in the Riverina region.

This had both a cork and a screw cap, the cork was totally soaked and completely failed, the screw cap kept this bottle alive.

A dark bricky colour with browning on the edge. Initially it smells of dirt, earthy which blew off after a little while. This was ripe and sweet with raisins, liquorice and someone said Christmas cake.

This won’t improve but should hold for a while, very enjoyable.

Cheers Con.

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[Mahmoud Ali]

In my limited experience I have found that Australian port generally retains a certain degree of sweetness despite the aging. The only exception was an ''87 Sevenhill VP that resembled a Portuguese port. Where did you get this bottle?

[Con J]

In my limited experience I have found that Australian port generally retains a certain degree of sweetness despite the aging. The only exception was an ''87 Sevenhill VP that resembled a Portuguese port. Where did you get this bottle?

Hi Mahmoud.

I agree that most Aussie VP’s are unmistakable with their sweet fruit profile, even with considerable age on them. I can’t explain why but I find the spirit seems different in Portuguese VP’s.

This was 1 of 4 I recently purchased from auction along with a 1962 and 3 X 1966.

Cheers Con.

[jimv]

1964 McWilliams Vintage Port

Made from Shiraz grapes grown in the Riverina region.

This had both a cork and a screw cap, the cork was totally soaked and completely failed, the screw cap kept this bottle alive.

A dark bricky colour with browning on the edge. Initially it smells of dirt, earthy which blew off after a little while. This was ripe and sweet with raisins, liquorice and someone said Christmas cake.

This won’t improve but should hold for a while, very enjoyable.

Cheers Con.

661C8DA5-D659-46B6-BF00-484C3AE369D9.jpeg

I also had this a few weeks ago. Quite a remarkable wine given the age and region. Got it for a good price at Langtons too.

[Con J]

1964 McWilliams Vintage Port

Made from Shiraz grapes grown in the Riverina region.

This had both a cork and a screw cap, the cork was totally soaked and completely failed, the screw cap kept this bottle alive.

A dark bricky colour with browning on the edge. Initially it smells of dirt, earthy which blew off after a little while. This was ripe and sweet with raisins, liquorice and someone said Christmas cake.

This won’t improve but should hold for a while, very enjoyable.

Cheers Con.

661C8DA5-D659-46B6-BF00-484C3AE369D9.jpeg

I also had this a few weeks ago. Quite a remarkable wine given the age and region. Got it for a good price at Langtons too.

Year I was a bit surprised it held up so well for it’s age and pedigree, this bottle I opened had the lowest fill.

Just finished off a glass, after being open for 3 days it’s not as sweet and I find it more interesting and complex.
There’s still a bit left, I’ll see how it’s travelling tomorrow night.

Cheers Con.

[Dexter]

Andrew Buller Wines Cannobie 30 year old tawny

Attractively packaged 500 ml bottle.
There's some rancio character on the nose with a touch of marzipan, toffee sweet spice and a touch of rose water. The spirit is clean and it is initially fairly sweet (as is the case with most Australian Tawny). You catch the toffee again on the palate and the floral rose petal character is also there before more assertive citrus flavours of burnt orange and lemon hit you on the sides of the tongue and linger to provide a long finish.

It's perhaps a little less dense than I would have expected for its age, but that might be reflective of the house style. There is a muscat and a Topaque that are both fairly floral and light on their feet as well.
At just under $30 at cellar door, this would have a claim to being the best value fortified in Australia right now.

Any idea where Andrew sources the material for his fortifieds? I assume he doesn't deal with his former winery.

[paulf]

Andrew Buller Wines Cannobie 30 year old tawny

Attractively packaged 500 ml bottle.
There's some rancio character on the nose with a touch of marzipan, toffee sweet spice and a touch of rose water. The spirit is clean and it is initially fairly sweet (as is the case with most Australian Tawny). You catch the toffee again on the palate and the floral rose petal character is also there before more assertive citrus flavours of burnt orange and lemon hit you on the sides of the tongue and linger to provide a long finish.

It's perhaps a little less dense than I would have expected for its age, but that might be reflective of the house style. There is a muscat and a Topaque that are both fairly floral and light on their feet as well.
At just under $30 at cellar door, this would have a claim to being the best value fortified in Australia right now.

Any idea where Andrew sources the material for his fortifieds? I assume he doesn't deal with his former winery.

I don't know, but I assume that something was worked out with existing stocks when Buller's was sold. According to the website they've only held the Cannobie property since 2015.

[Alex F]

Time to update this thread with my fortified drinking:

Patritti Rare Apera (Mclaren Vale): Tastes and smells quite aged. Definitely a very distinctive sherry nose with flor, amontillado, nuttiness. Heavy and not light on its feet on the palate. Distinct drying out/salinity. A stingy 3.5 stars.

Patritti Rare Tawny (Mclaren Vale): Rancio, toffee, lift. Clear age but lacks charm. 3.5 stars.

Patritti Rare Muscat (Mclaren Vale): Tea leaves, honey, but a bit heavy. In general I question the composition/blending of the Patritti fortifieds wines, even though there is clear age in all of them. 3.5 stars.

Dandelion Vineyards Legacy of the Barossa Pedro Ximenez xxxo (Barossa): Too much woodiness, reminds me a bit of brandy with the spice notes. Drying. Dip in the middle, long finish, quite sweet. Perhaps a good tawny, but falls well short of a Jerez pedro ximenez. 3.5 stars.

Stanton and Killeen Vintage Fortified 2008 (Rutherglen): Blend of lots of varieties, (touriga, shiraz, tinta roriz, etc). From 375ml. Thin anemic to start. all sugar at the front palate and acid at the back (3.5 stars). Two or three days in bottle showed much more improvement lots of nice savoury notes, rich chocolate, bumping rating up to 4.5 stars. By the 7th day the dregs had deteriorated, now like what it was when first opened. Now I am wondering whether I did not air the 2006 enough (notes above). Think this can develop for at least another 10 years.

So overall, bar the stanton and killeen, a disappointing collection of fortifieds, despite the presence of clearly aged material.

[Alex F]

I have recently tried a couple of standout Aussie fortifieds from auction:

All Saints Vintage Shiraz Port 1976 (Rutherglen) - Level just below neck but cork is good, I had no problems using the coravin on it. Still very red colour and dense in the middle of glass, some browning at the meniscus. Lovely nose. Some lift/VA. Spice and cedar, evolving with air. Very sweet style. Mouthfilling with a real intensity and sappiness, like a chinese herbal drink, to the back palate, finishes fairly long with pleasing acidity. The fourth coravin extraction led to some change: A lot of bottle age evident on nose. Vegetal and chinese herbal drink. Sweetness has receded. Licorice and stewed plum/strawberries. Long, but slight drying sensation. Still enjoyable. 4.5 stars

Seppelt Flora Eugenie Seppelt Tawny Port - A weeping bottle. Corked pushed in . But level still into neck. Ah, why did Seppelt stop bottling their tawnies with these fine long corks and instead moved to the t-stopper. Lots of very fine sediment; cloudy, need to leave for a while to settle after which wine is very clear. Nose: honey, rich, rancio, toffee, hint of decay, lots of lift. Palate: savoury almost bitter chocolate/coffee edge leading into fair amount of weigh and spice in the middle of the mouth. Lots of apparent sweetness as you swish it but the finish is very brandy like. Quite long and intense. Amazing, simply amazing. 4.5 stars

And a couple of so so ones:

Winmark Geelong Cats Premiership Vintage Port 1980 - Supposedly 1980 Mildara Port. Cork looks pretty good underneath the screwcap that came off in one piece. Soft cork though as coravin pressure caused it to pop out a bit. Wine is fine if not terribly complex. Nice red core but very brown at edges. Sweet strawberries and good acidity carry. Medium length. 3.5 stars

Lindemans RF1 Tawny: Strange bottling. According to the label the 'last' barrel of this solera. Google shows other variations but I think I must have a got a relative dud from this famous solera. Tiring, dirty/funky aroma. Not intense but is quite elegant with a long finish. 3.5 stars.

[Alex F]

Orlando Vintage Port 1983 (Barossa) - Very translucent. Base of neck but cork perfect, not stained. Has some corky/vegetal notes, wondering whether this is corked but the length and presence does not seem clipped so will let it pass for now. Good acid and sweetness. Plenty of spice notes, e.g. cinnamon adding interest. Medium length and a bit of grip on the finish. All in all quite a wonderful port. 4 stars.

Another forumite has posted about this recently:
https://sweetworldwines.com/2020/07/25/unrel ... tching-up/
https://sweetworldwines.com/2019/12/07/1983- ... port-19-8/

[scribbler]

Looks like I have forgotten to update here for a while, so here a years' worth of updates

1978 Hardy’s 125th anniversary Vintage Port
McLaren Vale. Raspberry jam and cherry liqueur; very sweet in style with liquorice and plum; terrific length; exceptional spirit integration – whacky bottle I’d never seen either. Outstanding now, no drama to keep

1965 Campbells Vintage Port
Rutherglen. Label clues are Cabernet and Shiraz “will improve for years to come”. Its not often I see a wine older than 50 years. It’s a very viscous, dense wine with its main impressions not fruit; mochas, coffee cream, toffee. This made its style not straightforward to discern- not the florals or richness of muscat or topaque (or acidity), not the rancio of a tawny style. Yet it didn’t look like a VP. IT seemed Australian with its relative sweetness, and brandy spirit. However it remained a lovely drink of indeterminate origin until revealed. Straightforward flavours, but its solidity and age a tribute to the style. Pretty good, but has seen better days

2005 Seppeltsfield Shiraz/touriga Vintage Port (screwcap)
Barossa (74% Shiraz, 23% Touriga, 2% Tinta barocca, 1% Tinta Cao) Abundant spices and almond character, but not the complexity of Portugal (and a bit sweeter too). Drinking well, but straightforward. My notes indicate this wine was purchased as a cleanskin for $8, and I have a few bottles in the cellar for more leisurely contemplation and reflections

1975 Baileys Vintage Port
The label states "Bundarra", with Baileys in smaller print, but it’s the same mob. I extracted a pretty ordinary cork, which however had faithfully performed its duty for 45 years. Made before I was even interested in wine, it was a recent auction purchase for an unreal price just over $20. Insane value!

It’s still a vibrant black/red colour albeit some bricking on the rim; it’s an unashamed old-fashioned inky Oz style – a meal in a glass- with ripe fresh sweet blackberry and raspberry jam, a touch of mocha/cocoa and aromatic brandy spirit. It’s lush, rich, sweet, and endless. The wine is a tribute to the area, its maker Harry Tinson, and is completely compelling. I cannot see improvement, but its longevity is astounding.

1996 Peter Lehmann “the King” (Vintage Port) AD 2017 20%
Barossa Valley – Touriga, Shiraz, Cab Sav (53%/30%/17%)

The very odd labelling approach has the “recommended drinking date” (21 years from vintage) at least twice as prominent as the vintage. It takes careful reading of the back label to confirm the wine is a vintage fortified style! Congratulations marketing gurus, NOT.

The cork is adequate, and there is plentiful lumpy sediment evident with decanting. Definitely a bricky colour, the wine presents a world of soft comfortable old leather, mocha, a spice chest of potpourri, cedar and chestnut, blackberry and bonfires; the palate is luxurious; there is sweet brandy spirit, fresh dark cherry pie fruit, sweet coconut cream, liquorice and mixed spices contribute, and tannin is in support. Altogether, it’s a fine drink to reminisce over, and its price was a derisory $20 some years back

1998 Chateau Reynella Vintage Port 19% bottle #04293
McLaren Vale, South Australia.
When presented with what seemed like an Australian vintage fortified wine, the usual option question often resolved to “McLaren Vale (Hardy’s or Reynella) or North-east Victoria (Baileys, or Rutherglen candidates)”. Selecting the McLaren Vale option involved dissection of the ripeness and extent of strident blackberry – sometimes with success. Another clue was the calibre of the spirit. Choosing between Hardy’s or Reynella fell outside my expertise.

The previous bottle of this wine was in hindsight - oxidised. This wine is youthful, despite the label helpfully suggesting “excellent drinking at ten to twenty years of age”. Many (Australian) wine show gold medals attest to its inherent quality. The cork was short but adequate, and the fine sediment merited decanting,

Black red in colour, the wine displays overt ripe Shiraz – blackberry- nearly into jam territory - high-quality brandy spirit, and fresh sweet spices. Altogether this amounts to a special wine. Not overblown, not overripe, its dark fruits, concentration, ultra- fine tannins, and extended finish is manicured, and immaculately composed.
We have easy, slightly old-fashioned, delectable hedonism. It’s a model example of the Reynella style.

[scribbler]

1993 Stanton and Killeen Vintage Port 18.6%
90% Shiraz, 5% Durif, 5% Touriga. Rutherglen, Victoria.
This vintage was rated very highly by the late master winemaker Chris Killeen - it won 5 trophies and 13 gold medals when these were hard to come by. “Will mature and improve in bottle for up to 25 years” claims the label – accurately!
Deep ruby with some bricking. Aromatic, violets and a hint of mint, wafts of sweet mixed spices. Mellow, rich and lush – camphor, raspberry jam, sweet dark fruit – mulberry, blackberry, raspberry and excellent brandy spirit.
Altogether integrated and delicious, on a lovely plateau. Outstanding.

[mychurch]

Just started looking at the auctions houses for these wines. Quite interesting the selection of oldies that are available. Fortified wine seems to be out of fashion everywhere.

A quick look though has already shown up some differences in the same wine at different auction houses and some wines with incredibly high fills for their age. Was it normal practice to bottle the same wine over a long period ? As an example Langtons have a 47 Hardys Tawny Port that looks its age with regard to label and fill, but the capsule looks a bit too clean. Wickams have exactly the same wine, but with a younger looking label and a completely different capsule. I presume this is legit, but has anyone had experience of potential fakes ?

Also wondered about capsules. Does anyone know if screw caps or cork stopper were the norm in the 40s to 70s period.

[Rossco]

Just started looking at the auctions houses for these wines. Quite interesting the selection of oldies that are available. Fortified wine seems to be out of fashion everywhere.

A quick look though has already shown up some differences in the same wine at different auction houses and some wines with incredibly high fills for their age. Was it normal practice to bottle the same wine over a long period ? As an example Langtons have a 47 Hardys Tawny Port that looks its age with regard to label and fill, but the capsule looks a bit too clean. Wickams have exactly the same wine, but with a younger looking label and a completely different capsule. I presume this is legit, but has anyone had experience of potential fakes ?

Also wondered about capsules. Does anyone know if screw caps or cork stopper were the norm in the 40s to 70s period.

Ssshhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh, dont tell everyone that this is one of the last bastion of reasonable pricing in the market left. You can get some seriously aged wine for not a lot of money.

Given the pricing, why would people bother trying to fake it? Difference is possibly just better storage than others? I vividly remember my grandparents having the same bottle of fortified standing upright in the top shelf of their cupboard for years and years. In fact my father in law STILL has them in is liquor cabinet.

With the labels/capping/stoppers, back then were pretty crazy times so wouldnt surprise me if they ran out of one type during bottling (remember they were most likely hand filled/capped as well) and just swapped to whatever was there/available? - Others with more experience can probably comment.

I would have thought IF there were going to be fakes in the market, it would be Portugese/Spanish, not Australian (save for maybe the Para 100 year old)?

[mychurch]

Thanks Rossco

Interesting comments on fakes. Apparently in Europe there are more fakes at the lower end than the top end - generic red being bottled as Chianti Classico for instance. I've already seen a few suspicious looking bottles of parra.

Your remarks on the liquor cabinet are a worry. Ports are pretty robust wines, but I'm not sure 30 years in a living room are the best conditions for a wine. Its another learning experience for me - in Europe the old wines with base of neck fills and completely rotted labels were the ones I would be looking for. There is not the same humidity here and I see examples of wines I would have avoided. Going to buy a few older cheaper reds to try and get a grip on the storage indicators

[Rossco]

Thanks Rossco

Interesting comments on fakes. Apparently in Europe there are more fakes at the lower end than the top end - generic red being bottled as Chianti Classico for instance. I've already seen a few suspicious looking bottles of parra.

Your remarks on the liquor cabinet are a worry. Ports are pretty robust wines, but I'm not sure 30 years in a living room are the best conditions for a wine. Its another learning experience for me - in Europe the old wines with base of neck fills and completely rotted labels were the ones I would be looking for. There is not the same humidity here and I see examples of wines I would have avoided. Going to buy a few older cheaper reds to try and get a grip on the storage indicators

Surely those European fakes at the lower end, would only work when there is a HEAP of wine being sold. Its simply not the case here in Aust. There isnt 1,000 bottles of the 47 Hardys Tawny Port (or others) floating around auctions is there? (I haven't looked to be honest lately) That was really the reason for my thoughts on Australian fakes.

I havent had that many dud bottles of old fortified either. Just have to look for the usual signs of bad storage (weeping, fill levels, ect) and
take a shot. The ones that have been average were more cork issues than storage, as you said they are pretty robust wines.
With Wickmans they have a good provenance rating system and i have bought fortifieds successfully from them before.

[mychurch]

Will do Rossco.

Actually waiting for my first set of wines from Wickmans - they lost one of the bottles I won. It can happen - better than having them dropped on the floor, which has also happened before to me.

[mychurch]

B99BD95B-AC77-4700-9BD1-20FC939FBEE8.jpeg

Final 2 wines of a wonderful tasting at Chambers - the Rare bottlings. Had a couple of good old fortified wines over Xmas - a 54 and a 56 Tawny - and while they were very good, they missed the vigour that a recent release fortified has. These 2 were at the same level and had all the complexity you would expect, as well as the silky texture and lush mouthfeel. Glorious. Shame about the price, but the price of the lower range falls drastically away whithout that big a drop in quality - try the $20 04 Vintage Port or the $25 Tawny.

[George Krashos]

Wynns Pedro Ximenez, a first release, rich unctuous just yum, sweet but not cloying. Might take another bottle down to Coonawarra this weekend.
Cheers Craig

Keep eyeing these off at Dan's but too exxy for my liking.

[Duncan Disorderly]

Not quite up to the standard of the ‘98 I had 18 months ago, but still a damn good drink. Best drinking on night 2 as it had a bit more structure, but held up well over six nights.