TNs: AFWAC tasting: wines from the outstanding 1998 vintage

[Gustav]

Last Monday Adelaide Fine Wine Appreciation Club (AFWAC) held a tasting of reputable reds from all over Australia from the legendary 1998 vintage. The only region where the vintage was not outstanding was Margareth River (and maybe more of WA?). It was a great tasting and I thank the organisers, especially Phil, for their efforts. All wines were masked and only revealed after the WOTN had been voted. I forgot to note the top three (I only remember the winner), but I'm sure someone who was there can post the results (I'm sure Ian noted it ). Here are my notes.

1998 Knappstein Clare Riesling (palate cleanser)
Light golden colour. Nose of petroleum/diesel, toast and hints of mushroom. The palate shows some petro and also lime. Finishes long with a lingering acidity. Very good! 8/10

1998 Barossa Valley Estates E&E Black Pepper Sparkling Shiraz
Dark red with brown appearing at the edges. Very aromatic. Nose of plums and with hints of barnyard. Still nice mousse. Very rich and mouthfilling. Hints of brandy, oak and pepper. Savoury. Blockbusteruish. Very good! I enjoyed it a lot. 8/10

1998 Coriole McLaren Vale Shiraz
Dense purple color. Nose of ribena – cordial and oak. The palate is fair, with almost non-existent tannins. However, still quite dense. I get some green pepper on the end. Quite savoury. Not of my least favourd wines of the evening. 5/10

1998 Rymill Coonawarra Shiraz
Deep purple. Nose of caramel/butterscotch and some liquerish. Hints of medicine cabinet and burned rubber. The palate shows dark fruits and mellow tannins. OK, but nothing more. 6/10

1998 Turkey Flat Barossa Valley Shiraz
Deep purple. Again I get a ribena/cordial type of aroma. Clean. Rather one-dimensional. The palate is much better then the nose. Mouthfilling with great structure. Very nice tannins and a reasonable long finish. Delicious! 8/10

1998 Mitchelton Print Label Golburn Valley Shiraz
Dark red with slight bricking. Again that cordial “sweet” nose, giving a mix of raspberries and cherries. The nose is also mirrored on the palate. Very nice tannins. Long and tight. Very good! 8.5/10

1998 Saltram No. 1 Barossa Valley Shiraz
Dark red with slight bricking. Nose of butterscotch, toasty oak and hints of wet earth. The palate shows cherry fruit combined with meaty flavours. Full and rich. Nice tannins. Long finish. Excellent! 9/10

1998 Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Heathcote Shiraz Viognier
Bright red with some bricking. Fruity nose with menthol and eucalyptus. Medium bodied. Fine grained tannins. Hints of liquerish flavours. OK wine. 7/10

1998 Petaluma Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
Dark red with indications of bricking. Blackcurrant nose. Very fragrant. Intense. Very sniffable! The palate shows flavours of blackcurrant and hints of almonds. Powerful. Very nice tannins. Great wine! Still seems quite young. 9/10 and my WOTN.

1998 Wild Duck Creek Alan's Vat 1 Heathcote Cabernet Sauvignon
Dark red with quite some bricking. Starts of a bit stinky on the nose, then shows intense eucalyptus and some funky burnt characters. Not pleasant. The palate is a bit boring. Hints of blackcurrant. Tannins almost disappeared. Not the best wine...6.5/10

1998 Cape Mentelle Margareth River Cabernet Sauvingon
Dark red with browning on edges. Intensely fruity nose with elements of blackcurrant and oak. The palate is very nice showing flavours blackcurrants and tar. Very good tannins and excellent length. Excellent wine! 9/10. My runner up WOTN and the groups WOTN (the opinions of WOTN was actually split quite equally in three). Quite ironic that this wine turned out to be WOTN as it was from the only region in Australia that wasn't considered exceptional in 1998.

1998 Leasingham Classic Clare Clare Shiraz
Very dark red/black, almost impenetrable. Nose showing plums, cigar and hints of vanillin oak and smoke. Surprisingly the palate is very non-yeilding. I was expecting a bomb but it decieved me. The power and richness is there, but it just doesn't release much flavours. Still good tannins and fine structure. Maybe it's shut down and needs more time? 8/10

cheers,

[dazza1968]

Thanks for the update,

I find it very interesting whats starting to go the distance

Regards Dazza

[n4sir]

My impressions: This tasting was far more successful than previous 1998 vintage horizontals I’ve attended, with an overall very high standard and only a couple of questionable bottles.


1998 Knappstein Hand Picked Clare Valley Riesling: Dark gold with a slightly olive rim. Heavily toasted/fino-like nose, with just a hint of mineral/soursob and bath scents – it’s a little musty too, not TCA but smelling a little ‘corky’ if you get my drift. The palate’s just as developed with toasty/honeyed and brown lime characters and a dry finish, and not quite as fresh as bottles of Kilikanoon and Sevenhill I’ve had in the last couple of years. Good, but a couple of us got the feeling it would have been better with a perfect cork.


1998 Barossa Valley Estate E&E Black Pepper Sparkling Shiraz: Very dark to inky crimson with a vigorous mousse and a persistent fine bead. Complex, earthy nose with some camphor wood/sweet banana oak, and dark chocolate; the palate’s full of young, sweet and tangy fruit with a hint of leafy herbs and black olive, finishing long and earthy. An excellent Barossa FRS that will hold for some time yet, reminiscent of the Yalumba D Black of the same vintage.


1998 Coriole Shiraz: Very dark to inky crimson. The nose was very closed at first, gradually revealing some earthy camphor and strong, lifted eucalyptus characters; velvety, medium-weight palate with black olives and dark blackcurrant/plum fruit, finishing dry with an inky/olive finish. In a bit of a rebellious transition phase right now, but it has the structure and depth of fruit to blossom in a few years – I think I liked it better than most people.

1998 Rymill Shiraz: Medium to dark red/brick. Very earthy/porty nose with some mint and truffle; minty and dry/tannic palate, with cooler lighter-weight raspberry fruit with a hint of raisin, the finish a little varnishy and drying out suggesting its best days are behind it. Disappointing considering this was one of the highlights of the Great Australian Shiraz challenge about seven years ago – time has not served it well.


1998 Turkey Flat Shiraz: Medium to dark crimson/red with a pale rim. Earthy nose full of dark chocolate/cocoa and a little lifted mint; tangy palate with blueberries/blackberries and a little mineral/damp earth mid-palate, finishing long with a cordial-like sweetness. Not a big wine but still hanging in there, and a lot better than a bottle last year.

1998 Mitchelton Print Label Shiraz: Medium to inky crimson. Fresh nose of crushed berries and earth, then liquorice and more savoury soy/mushroom characters appear with breathing. Jammy palate with cool climate origins, tart raspberries, earth and tomato skin with a sweetness that’s bordering on too much, the finish minty with some alcohol heat. There are some good elements here, but it doesn’t seem to be altogether – I have to question if it ever will be?


1998 Saltram No.1 Shiraz: Medium to inky crimson, still with a touch of purple. Superb nose of cigar box/tobacco and glorious earthy currants with just a touch of camphor; earthy/velvety, full-weight palate full of lovely violets and minty/inky berries, backed by vanillin oak. Much better than the last bottle I tried a couple of years ago, and in a close one my overall WOTN.

1998 Heathcote Winery Mail Coach Shiraz: First bottle was corked. Medium to dark crimson. A little closed at first, slowly revealing dark, simmering berries, mint and pepper; cool climate, minty but fully ripe medium-weight palate, lovely dark berries and a grainy, long finish with sweet black cherries. Not quite up there with the best wines, but still very nice.


1998 Petaluma Coonawarra: Glass-clinging, medium to very dark red. The nose screams out its Coonawarra Cabernet origins with loads of blackcurrants, coal, peppermint and pencil notes; the palate’s just as true and smart, dark blackcurrants and just a hint of funk matched to a brawny, chalky structure, the finish long and grainy. One of the stars of the tasting, and equal second on my scoresheet.

1998 Wild Duck Creek Alan’s Vat 1 Cabernets: Medium to dark red/brick. The nose opens with some peppermint and a hint of truffle, and immediately goes downhill to reveal barnyard, heavy eucalyptus and then acetone and bandaids. The palate’s just as influenced by brettanomyces, full of cloves and ugly medicinal characters leading to a dry, minty finish. Disappointing wine, and widely disliked for obvious reasons.


1998 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to dark crimson. Minty and earthy nose with some appealing spicy paprika characters, lifted mint and pepper; the palate is medium-weight with a peppermint entry followed by sweet/earthy raspberries/blackcurrants, finishing with some black olives and a long, tannic finish. A classy wine (especially considering the reputation of the vintage) but in direct comparison I preferred the Petaluma and Leasingham Cabernets – voted overall WOTN by the group.

1998 Leasingham Classic Clare Cabernet Sauvignon: Medium to very dark, almost inky crimson. Hedonistic nose full of blackberry/blackcurrants, vanilla oak, camphor and VA – this is ten years old? The full-weight palate’s just as juvenile and bombastic with crushed ants, tart blackcurrants/soy and a ball-busting, chalky/grippy structure that drains the gums and leaves skid marks on the cheeks, finishing tarry and minty. Looking beyond all that raw power it’s very well balanced and will go another eleven years easily, probably more. Equal second for me tonight with lots of plus marks for potential – it’s a damn shame Leasingham haven’t made a wine anywhere as good as this for years.


The overall votes for WOTN:
1st (on countback) – 4 votes: 1998 Cape Mentelle Cabernet Sauvignon
=2nd – 4 votes: 1998 Petaluma Coonawarra
=2nd – 4 votes: 1998 Mitchelton Print Label Shiraz
4th – 3 votes: 1998 Saltram No.1 Shiraz


Cheers
Ian