Robert Hill-Smith and his daughter Jessica were the hosts of one of the great wine tastings yesterday. It was a celebration of 175 years of Yalumba, presided over by 6 generations of the same family. Yalumba have always been extremely generous to the wine trade, hosting various museum tastings over the years, but this one was special. Their Negociants imports arm is a who’s who role call of the greatest producers and many of these producers were incredibly generous with their offerings out of their own cellars, to compliment what Yalumba had stashed in their own museum cellar. You just know the tasting is going to be special when you start with a 1921 Pol Roger!
1921 Pol Roger Champagne Vintage Brut: Recently arrived from Pol Roger’s cellars. Disgorged in 2013. The was simply magnificent. There was a saline seaspray note along with heady orchard fruits and a suggestion of marmalade. It has plenty of spice and brioche. It was full and textural, with wonderful shape and volume. It had such great acid drive and a finish that was chalky and so long. There’s still a light prickle from remaining bubbles.
2009 Hugel Riesling Schoelhammer: Only a couple of bottles came into Australia, and they went straight into the museum stock. I was happy to be part of the team to annex these. A punchy nose of smoky mineral, apples and citrus. There’s a fruit sweet core and great acid cut. Beautiful balance and silky of texture. Residual sugar is around 8g/l and alcohol 13%.
2004 Pewsey Vale Vineyard The Contours Eden Valley Riesling: A magnum from the Yalumba museum. A fresh nose of lemon and lime and slate. There’s just a hint of toasty development. Great intensity and vibrancy in the mouth. Rich and detailed. A finish that is energetic and long. In the perfect place.
1988 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese: A magnum donated by Müller. This is the first vintage from which Müller released some magnums and man was it good. It has notes of custard apple, citrus blossom, smoky mineral, slate and lime brulee. It is so deep and unctuous, with almost painful intensity. It drives through the palate and powers on and on.
2003 Yalumba The Virgilius Eden Valley Viognier: An intriguing nose of lantana, ripe orchard fruits and pepper. The palate has a touch of the exotic but is still fresh and vital.
2011 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard: A magnum donated by Giaconda. This was right in the zone. There’s some custard apple here and pure white peach. It has a suggestion of candied peel and plenty of spice. Great shape and texture and outstanding persistence.
2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Montrachet, Grand Cru: These bottles came out of the Yalumba museum. Richly fruited. White peach and apricot on the nose and in the mouth. Loads of spice and plenty of mineral. Creamy and layered, explosive and deep. There’s some flint to the incredibly long finish.
1999 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne, Grand Cru: From a magnum donated by Bonneau du Martray. There’s a touch of honey development to the aroma. It has ripe peach and citrus fruit flavours. There’s some flesh and decent mineral cut. It is linear and very long.
2010 Domaine du Vieux Télégraphe Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Crau: From bottles donated by Vieux Télégraphe. Ripe raisin fruits, chocolate, and pepper. Rich, heady and powerful. Good depth and structure.
2009 Château de Beaucastel Châteauneuf-du-Pape: From bottles donated by Château de Beaucastel. In a nice place right now. Generous of red berry fruits. Some licorice and spice too. Full and fleshy, very ripe. Some pepper and grip to the finish.
1999 Yalumba Tricentenary Barossa Grenache: The first vintage for Yalumba off this special plot planted in 1889. A whiff of smoke and plenty of intense raspberry fruit. There’s a hint of menthol too. It is deep, rich, and powerful and is still very fresh.
1999 Château Rayas Châteauneuf-du-Pape Reserve: Sourced from the Europvin library, this looked like it had been re-corked at some stage. It was simply wonderful. It had an incredible perfume of violets, pine needles, lavender, raspberry and spiced plum. It was full and rich and layered. There was a gentle meatiness and the wine possessed real latent power. It had so much volume and was silky and expansive.
1995 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru: From a magnum donated by Dujac. This was in terrific nick. A beautiful nose of red and black fruits, sandalwood and dried flowers. There is a wealth of fruit here, slowly emerging from behind the wine’s ample structure. It was a wine of exquisite perfume and still had plenty of grip from its tea leaf-like tannins.
1999 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, Grand Cru: From bottles out of the Yalumba museum cellar. The first bottle was brilliant, the second was even better. Still almost primary, with its core of intense cherry fruit. There’s sandalwood, aniseed, Hoisin and rose petals with air. It is velvety but oh so powerful and balance is exquisite. The finish drives on and expands. Quite simply, one of the greatest wines ever made.
1985 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tâche, Grand Cru: Bottles from the Yalumba museum cellar. Gently fading. Plenty of beef stock and Hoisin. Elegant and lacy. Sweet and vinous. Some earth, rose petals and spice. Builds slowly and is still engaging and ethereal.
2014 Yalumba The Octavius Barossa Old Vine Shiraz : Perfectly ripe and juicy blood plum fruit. It is loaded with spice and has excellent fruit intensity. Tannins are ripe and the wine has a creamy feel. Length is imposing.
2009 Yalumba The Octavius Barossa Old Vine Shiraz: Remarkably youthful and purple of colour. Quite a smoky nose, with some tar and menthol too. There are luscious, dark fruits at its core and some earthy nuance at the extremities. The finish is chewy and there’s bright acidity.
2009 Henschke Hill of Grace Vineyard Eden Valley Shiraz: Bottles donated by Henschke. Complex aromatics of wild sage and other herbs, smoke, cassis, blueberry and violets. The palate is supple and accessible, yet so deep and detailed. It has wonderful texture and build and the finish fans out and closes with fruit and menthol.
2009 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Ermitage Cuvée Cathelin: Bottles from the Yalumba museum cellar. A touch of animale to the nose along with plenty of earth. There are bacon fat notes and some wild herbs and other plant matter. It has berry fruit sweetness and wonderful presence and volume. It is rich and layered and the long finish is supported by sinewy tannins.
2005 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie Hommage á Etienne Guigal: A magnum donated by Guigal. Fruit came off La Pòmmiere, the first vineyard Etienne worked at the age of 14. The wine spent 36 months in two new oak barrels. It has never been commercially released and is offered at charity auctions to raise funds for good causes. The wine is inky and powerful. There are black fruits a plenty and a strong ironstone character. It has light florals and some wood spice. It is deep and chewy, finishing with chalky grip and possessing incredible length of flavour.
2014 Yalumba The Caley Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz: This was like a vinous mint slice. It had beautiful cassis fruit as well. It is a glossy wine, of character and polish. Tannins are ripe and it has plenty of drive.
2004 Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz: Delicious raspberry and blackberry fruits. A sprig of mint and some milk chocolate development. Tannins have softened but bright acidity gives the wine focus and energy. Nice balance and very tasty at this juncture.
1986 Lindeman’s Limestone Ridge Coonawarra Shiraz Cabernet: Some berry fruits. Elegant and fine. There’s tobacco and earth development. It is relatively lean through the mid-palate and finishes with tart berry crunch.
1974 Yalumba FDR 1A Claret: A very good wine from a very difficult vintage. This is 60% Cabernet and 40% Shiraz from the Barossa. It has some truffle and cedar along with Indian spice notes. There’s gentle vinous sweetness and bitter fruit freshness. It is balanced and energetic.
1964 Penfolds Cabernet Shiraz Bin 389: From the Yalumba museum cellar and re-corked at the Penfolds clinic in 2016. An engaging nose of seaweed, cedar, mint, and leather. There’s light meatiness to the flavour profile and some chocolate and a sprig of mint. Structural elements have all but folded neatly into the wine. A lovely drink.
1985 Marchese Antinori Tignanello Toscano IGT: A magnum donated by Antinori. This was still very fresh and dense. Beautiful cherry fruit. Some pipe tobacco and earth. Complex and detailed and very long. Superb!
1985 Tenuta San Guido Sassicaia: Bottles from the Yalumba museum cellar. I’ve been fortunate enough to have had this legendary wine several times, but not for a long time. It is still powering on, with the purest core of intense cassis fruit. It has some tar and bitter chocolate and purple flower notes. It is supple and succulent, deep and long. Acid balance is perfect, and it is such a vital wine.
1985 Bodegas Vega-Sicilia Ribera del Duero Único: Bottles from the Yalumba museum cellar. A touch of volatility gives the nose punch and lift. There are ripe berry fruits and sweet vanillin spice. It is very complex and intense. Tannins are quite round yet supportive. It has great presence and persistence.
1982 Château La Conseillante Pomerol: A magnum from the Yalumba museum cellar. Quite leathery on the nose. Some plum and violets too. It is sweet, opulent and deep, and has something agricultural that just distracts a little.
2014 Yalumba The Menzies Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon: Cassis and tobacco with some sweet spice. Mid-weight and beautifully balanced. Fresh and minty closure.
2012 Château Latour Pauillac: From a magnum donated by Latour. This was really good, outperforming the vintage. Some lead pencil and cassis smells. It had meat and earth complexity. It was glossy in the mouth, with lovely balance and smooth tannins. It finished with bright acid tang and length to burn.
1990 Château Lafite Rothschild Pauillac: Bottles donated by Lafite Rothschild. Seriously good! The nose draws you in with such pure cassis fruit, violet florals and lead pencil. Luscious fruits surround the high tensile, graphite spine. It is rich and voluminous yet so focused and detailed. It is fresh, youthful and has terrific length.
1990 Château Haut-Brion Pessac: Bottles donated by Château Haut-Brion. Both bottles were marked by too much brett. Fruit flavours were sweet and slightly roasty. It had some boot polish volatility and gravelly tannins.
1999 Château d’Yquem Sauternes: From a magnum donated by Yquem. Complex aromatics of ripe peach, apricot, grilled mango and vanilla. So luscious and layered, with incredible fruit sweetness. Fabulous intensity and engages with every sip. For all its sweetness it finishes so clean and bright and has such great presence.
1977 Warre’s Vintage Port: From a magnum donated by Warre’s. A beautiful clean spirit cuts black fruits. It has florals and licorice notes and is complex and engaging. It is concentrated yet light on its feet and finishes with freshness and persistence. Still very young.
1923 Yalumba Shiraz Port: Shiraz fortified with Yalumba distilled brandy spirit. Aged in barrels and bottled 21/1/1935. This was simply wonderful. There’s so much going on here. Burnt figs, raisins, cardamom, and toffee. It has Muscat like honeyed sweetness and plenty of savoury nuance. It is unctuous, voluminous and leaves such a power packed punch of sensual flavours. You can still taste this minutes after swallowing.
