The Auswine Forum

Hey so I recently opened a bottle of 2023 Agricola ebenezer and initially didn’t think it was that great. I want to say that I think this is more than likely related to my inexperience, but was wanting to pick the brains of some of the aficionados here.

On a positive note on the nose, it definitely had a complex bouquet but I feel like the palate wasn’t there yet.

It had some decent acidity, and present tannins, and as mentioned an inviting nose.

The winemaker did say that his wines generally need about 8 years to reach their peak, thus have I likely just opened it too young? As I hear stories of young standish that needs to be left open for 8 hours before being enjoyed.

I opened it about an hour before dinner and had about half the bottle the first night, then put the cork back in and had the second half the next night for dinner. I generally do this and let a wine come to life as I drink it.

I also noted a bit of sediment in the last few glasses- should I be carefully decanting all reds to remove any sediment? As I thought that was mostly for older reds that develop sediment as they age? Does sediment impact flavour?

I do feel like it’s been opening up more as time goes on , but feel like I’m missing something as it is from a good producer, from good grapes.

The more I think about it I probably just opened it too young and didn’t give it enough time to breathe ?

Any tips?

The wines I’ve had from Barossa from the 2023 vintage have been underwhelming, especially after the previous two vintages. As such, your note doesn’t really surprise.

Interesting as the wine received high scores from Wine Front and Halliday Wine Companion. I wonder if the wine required a longer decant, or just needs time to come around.

Don’t think I’ve tried one of the 2023 Agricola wines yet. I only purchased 1 of each last year so likely to hold before sampling.

Thanks Ed

The 2020 ebenezer was quite weird on release but really settled down after two years to become a lovely wine.

Actually looking back, Callum said the ebenezer and the Hoffman dalliwitz are the two that are likely to need the longest cellaring and decant - this is where I’ve gone wrong. I opened it way too early and didn’t decant it enough. Feel silly now that I sort of wasted the bottle but oh well- a learning experience!

I have given Agricola Wines a go in the past. It’s a smart looking product, a good story and some wine scribes are going ‘ga ga’ for it, but for my tastes the wines under deliver. The wines generally speaking feel unfinished/incomplete, lacking polish, and a bit weird.

I have been part of a number of blind tastings where these wines have been included with their peers in terms of region and price point, in all instances, they show up as the weakest wines for the reasons I mentioned above.

I have purchased various vintages up to 2022, but stopped there, so cannot comment on 2023. I have keep a couple bottles from 2021 and 2022 in the hope that they may change for the better when I open them in the future. But I won't buy anymore, its just not for my tastes.

I tried the ‘24’s from tank recently and they were excellent. Lovely fragrant nose and excellent tannin. Nice bright colour and I would expect them to be even better once bottled.

I haven’t tried any of the ‘23’s yet but as Mike said, after ‘21 & ‘22, ‘23 is not quite as good a vintage. A lot cooler and rain over picking made it a bit more difficult in the Barossa/Eden Valley.

For what it’s worth, Callum is a really decent young man and I wish him every success on his winemaking journey. I for one will certainly buy the ‘24’s with confidence.