Leo Buring Extra Special Riesling.

[TravisW]

Afternoon all. I wondering if anyone could tell me anything about this old wine found in my Dad's cellar.
Cheers, Travis

[Mahmoud Ali]

Wow, based on the design of the label it sure looks old. Is there no back label with a vintage?

[TravisW]

Hi Mahmoud.
No back label or vintage anywhere. It could have fallen off but it doesn't look like it.
Cheers, Travis

[michel]

I am guessing 1960s
Reminiscent of the Kaiser stuhl Ribbbon series style from tne 1970s
But doesn't look like Leo Buring 1973 or 1975
Tell us what it tastes like

[DJ]

The bottle is metric so post 1973.

Len Evans Complete Book of Australian Wine (1984) lists:
"Leo Buring Extra Special Riesling Hock
It is a good clean wine, showing a little fruitiness, and is quite crisp. Not a wine for laying down, but is very popular for everyday drinking."

It is not obvious in Halliday 1990

I don't remember it from the early 1990s and it is not in the Southcorp price list for 1997

Given doesn't mention Hock, so I'd guess late 1980s

It will be pot luck if you open it. If the cork has held, even commercial wines from this period could have good fruit. Fairly low alcohol, so may have had acid to preserve it. If you are lucky it will have overtones of toast and honey - or it could be vinegar - but give it a chance to get some air it is a bit nasty to begin - unlikely to get better but occasionally some of these open in the glass

Leo Buring was bought by Lindemans in 1962. The address on the front label was the Lindemans Sydney warehouse -

[TravisW]

Thanks Michel and David.
I might ping the photo off to Leo Buring as well.
Cheers.

[Mahmoud Ali]

Good work David and Michel. All good but my favourite bit:

The bottle is metric so post 1973.

Leo Buring was bought by Lindemans in 1962. The address on the front label was the Lindemans Sydney warehouse.

Mahmoud.

[GraemeG]

I'd reckon later than 73 (74 was the big changeover from a consumer perspective) given that there were an awful lot of bottles in the immediate post-metric era labelled 738ml, as older pre-metric stocks were used up.
When was the Lidcombe site vacated?
Graeme

[DJ]

I'd reckon later than 73 (74 was the big changeover from a consumer perspective) given that there were an awful lot of bottles in the immediate post-metric era labelled 738ml, as older pre-metric stocks were used up.
When was the Lidcombe site vacated?
Graeme

I think Lidcombe was vacated after the Penfolds Lindemans merger in early 1990 (or was it 1989)

[WineRick]

At the bottle of the label, under 'Australia' and '11%' are the tell-tale slits of what I think was called 'Code-Edge', a way of committing a date of bottling on the label. If anyone knows someone with an old Code-Edge card - about the size of a credit card - you'll be able to get the exact date of bottling. These days, bottling dates are laser-printed direct onto the bottle. Also, with the Lidcombe address, I doubt whether it's varietal Riesling as Riesling was a generic title up to the late '80's/early '90's. A varietal Riesling, invariably made by John Vickery, would have had 'Watervale' or 'Eden Valley' on the label, together with the traditional Barossa Buring address.

[Mahmoud Ali]

I continue to be impressed with the level of observation here. I think you are right about the slits at the bottom of the label, well done Rick.

[michel]

I continue to be impressed with the level of observation here. I think you are right about the slits at the bottom of the label, well done Rick.

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