Its a lovely wine. Nice sweet ripe fruit without being over ripe or extracted. The balance and length is super. I have three more bottles in the cellar. Come down and try one.
My main reservation regarding aged Aussie Shiraz is that I often find them to have a strong balsamic profile, that while not offensive can be dominating.
I’m starting to think there’s no point in drinking any red wine that hasn’t been open for a couple of hours. I was very surprised the Rockford changed so much for the betterm with air, I thought on opening it was what it was.
The Wynn’s John Riddoch seems to age like a Bordeaux – I’ve had a couple of bottles of the 1998 over the years and they were all excellent, and it has a lot of years left in it yet. It’s recognizably New World but not at all California because it is more eucalyptus/mint than jammy. Very Cabernet and none of that bubblegum/syrupy element you sometimes get from Aussie Shiraz.
I really wish I could find more of that Wynns Riddoch in the US, it seems to be almost totally unavailable here.
Does anyone have a sense for how the Penfolds RWT ages? I have a couple of bottles and trying to figure out when to drink them.
Thanks for the notes. I opened a '98 Rockford Basket Press last week. Matches your experience, including the “cinnamony” element that I couldn’t quite place. I still have a number of these from '94-'98 that I think it’s time to consume. I think the '96 is still my favorite
Wynns seems to be a brand that Treasury chooses not to push in the US. Of their portfolio, I would think that only Penfolds would be held in higher regard in Australia.
As for RWT it probably depends what you have. It doesn’t have the same history as Grange, St Henri or 389, with the first vintage being in 1997. Those early vintages were not all that great either, but by the mid 2000s they were pretty solid. I looked up some reviews that indicated 15 - 20 years + after you get past those first few vintages.
2003 Hazy Blur Barossa Valley Shiraz. 15.5 ABV. Cork bottom black and cork seepage almost a quarter. First sip was cinnamon toast. Bottle a little warm so I chilled it some with a bottle condom. Now the black fruits are more prevelant, the cinnamon reduced and there is no hint of alcohol, despite the 15.5 declaration. At 15 minutes, there are elegant black fruits, bolstered by cinnamon spice, ample acidity and not a hint of the alcohol. This is one of the intriguing and interesting Aussie Shirazs I’ve had.
I tend to think of older Australian reds as the early '70’s - mid 80’s, with old being more like the '50’s and '60’s.
Many of these wines mentioned here are not what I would consider old, nor anywhere near their peak.
So many people underestimate Aussie reds ability to age long term, and I have literally had hundreds of great wines from the 60’s (and many from the '50’s and even '40’s).
I remember a dinner with many great bottles from the '60’s we had with a number of wines all being considered relative cheapies (lesser Penfolds bin wines, Tahbilk ordinary Cabs, Wynns standard Cabs and Shiraz, and a super Shiraz/Cab made by one of the local SA Collages) that amazed everyone who hadn’t seen similar wines before as to just how long they can age.
Wines like Rockfords BP 1996/1998 (not picking on anything here, just a comment) are still baby’s, and need 20+ more years really - the 1986 isn’t even really ready yet!
