TN: 1998 The Rothbury Estate Brokenback Shiraz

[n4sir]

1998 The Rothbury Estate Brokenback Shiraz, Hunter Valley (cork): 13% alc. Light to medium brick/red. Aged, leathery and slightly medicinal characters at first, cherry, strawberry jam, fresh sage, clove, smoke and roast coffee, a little tomato skin and the vanillin oak from the 18 months in American & French barriques becoming more obvious with breathing. The palate's medium-weight, sweet, herbal and slightly smoky, finishing long, sweet and chalky with fine tannins; it's heavily aged and notably a lot lighter in weight than when it was an Adelaide Wine Show trophy winner on release. It's been 10 years since I last tried this wine and I am a little surprised it's hanging in there, but it's time to drink up.



Cheers,
Ian

[GraemeG]

Interestingly consistent. This is what I wrote 4 years ago:

1998 The Rothbury Estate Shiraz Brokenback - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (8/06/2011)
{cork, 13%} The trophy was for 'Best Consumer Table Wine' whatever that is, at the Royal Adelaide Show, no less; this wine made something of a splash at the time of release. An all-Hunter wine winning an interstate trophy; it seemed to prove that Rothbury wasn't just being commercialised out of existance; all the noble aspirations of a typical Len Evans grandiose vision weren't being sacrificed on the usual pragmatic financial altar. Ah, what false dawn that all turned out to be; in the end this was pretty much the last hurrah of a brand well on the way to oblivion.
So how does it look after 13 years? Garnet, with the faintest touch of bricking around the rim, that's how. The nose is typical aged Hunter, without the brett; compost and earth, wet leaves and leather polish. It's a powerful nose, for all the age that it conveys, it's not just lying in the glass but leaping into the atmosphere. There are touches of cloves, and vanilla oak; no real primary fruit, but all the forest-floor aromas that grapes turn into when they fall to the ground. The palate has softened out now; the finely dusty tannins are quite soft, and there are all secondary flavours (in line with the nose). There is a bit of an overlay of volatility here; I'd say this has just drifted off it's peak drinking plateau and has begun to slide a bit. A touch of 'oak-soup' helps with the richness of the texture; there's no heat as you'd expect with the almost old-fashioned alcohol level, although no-one could call it unripe. Medium-weight, and finish is about medium length and of some interest, although it doesn't leave you gasping in admiration. Drinking well still, but any more than another 5 years will be pushing it.

Funny thing is, you could do a lot worse from the 1998 Australian vintage than this, these days.
cheers,
Graeme

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for the notes guys, but doesn't Tyrrells make a Brokenback Shiraz as well?

[pokolbinguy]

Mahmoud Ali,

I think you may be correct.

The "Brokenback" name, while sharing a name with the Brokenback range which is part of the great dividing rate, is the name of a particular vineyard which was in the past owned by Rothbury Estate.

After Rothbury estate was absorbed by what is now Treasury (TWE) the vineyard was sold off.

For a while the fruit was sold to a number of different wineries I believe, but now owned by Leogate (http://www.leogate.com.au).

Other connected vineyards that were part of the plantings, I believe, are owned by Glandore estate on one side and Thomas Allen wines on the other (old Moon Mountain). I could however be wrong that these two vineyards (or atleast parts of) where part of the greater "Brokenback" vineyard. It just rings a bell in my mind.

Today the wines made from the genuine "Brokenback" vineyard, by Leogate, are very good. Current release is the 2013 Leogate Brokenback Shiraz (http://leogate.com.au/shop/2013-brokenback-shiraz/)

I was able to grab some of the 2011(?) vintage of this wine for around $12ea when the brand first really "hit the market" and it has to be one of the best value wines I have ever purchased......competes with a purchase of 2009 Jim Barry Watervale Riesling for about $7ea.

[redwhiteandrose]

Pokolbinguy,

Thanks for the interesting stories. Another vineyard whose fruit used to be used in Tyrrells and Rothbury Estates wines is the Fordwich vineyard owned by Russell Bainton QC. The shiraz vines are now over 50 years old and the Semillon ones over 80 years of age. Do you know which particular wines fruit from these vineyards have been used in? Cheers!

[pokolbinguy]

redwhiteandrose,

I do not know the answer but something tells me that this is part of the now Margan vineyard.

I believe they own part of what was known as the original Fordwich vineyards, some of which was the original Saxonvale vineyard which became owned my Hope Estate, I have a feeling some of this has however been pulled out as it is owned by the mining boys and girls

A little bit of history reference here;

https://www.margan.com.au/about-margan/history/

Probably the best way to find out would be to speak with someone at Margan Estate as they are the biggest operator in that area and I am sure they would have the answer...if not the vines!

[redwhiteandrose]

Pokolbinguy,

If you refer to this: http://www.bainton.com.au/about/about.htm Baintons still seems to be in business so I don't think the vineyard has changed hands. It talks about where the grapes have been sold since 1982, but they built a winery in 2000 to make wines from their own grapes. I just wondered which Tyrrells/Rothbury wines their fruit went into previously as it seems to be pretty good and has gone into 'award winning wines.' I guess I need to talk to the Baintons to get the answer. But thanks for replying.

[pokolbinguy]

I would think that Bainton's are the recent owners....not long term owners who sold to Rothybury etc

Since then it has been owned by the Elliot Family, J.Y. Tulloch & Sons P/L, Len Evans, and more recently by a consortium supplying fruit to Wyndham Estate. A memorable collection of Hunter names, to say the least.

Len Evans = Rothbury Estate.



This doesn't answer your question though...

[redwhiteandrose]

"Since 1982 the fruit has been purchased by two giants of the Hunter Valley, Tyrrells and The Rothbury Estate" is the key line.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Fascinating stuff guys. Margan makes really good wines and their Barbera was a standout.

As for the Tyrrells Brokenback wine, from what I recall looking up their website a few years ago, I saw no reference to the Brokenback being from a single vineyard. In fact I did see a reference to a Brokenback "reserve" wine. Curious about my bottle of '98 Brokenback I wrote Tyrrell's asking them if there were two different wines, a regular and a reserve, but didn't get a satisfactory answer. So I don't know if the Brokenback was called a reserve at some point or whether they made a reserve in some years.

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

[Red Smurf]

Glandore do own some of the Brokenback vineyard but only the Chardonnay, which now has a few other varieties in it.