Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 2000 and 1997
This classic Aussie Shiraz (aka Syrah), is a single vineyard designated
bottling from a well known high volume producer. Rosemount Balmoral Syrah
is made from grapes grown in 50-100 year old vineyards. Balmoral Syrah from McLaren Vale in South Central Australia takes its name from the Oatley family
homestead, built in 1852. Rosemount Estate was founded in 1974 and had its first release in 1975 and has built a
strong Australian and international reputation for producing
high-quality wines.This wine was first produced in 1989 initially
under the Show Reserve banner but in 1992 it was renamed Balmoral and
over the ensuing years become Rosemount's top flagship red wine.
We discovered and started collecting this wine in the mid-nineties and still hold over four cases spanning a decade of vintages from 1992 to 2002. We hold several vintages in the original six-pack cases from several vintages including this 2000 obtained upon release.
The label was Awarded Wine of the Year in Australia in 1998, it won both a Trophy and a Gold medal at the coveted Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011 and again in 2012 and consistently receives 90+ points from Wine Spectator across multiple Balmoral vintages.
Predominantly sourced from the McLaren Vale sub-region of Seaview, this wine is made from premium parcels from carefully selected vineyards (ranging from 50 to 100 years old) that produce tiny quantities of exceptional fruit. The result is a wine that delivers intense depth of flavour, superb length and fine acidity with a soft, velvety tannin structure and is known to be suitable for long term aging.
Following the 2000 vintages wines opened the past few evenings, Linda prepared a homemade pizza and I pulled from the cellar this 2000 vintage Shiraz. The next evening she prepared BBQ ribs and I opened a 1997 vintage release of the same label for a mini-vertical tasting of the label.
Rosemount Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale South Australia Syrah 2000
I note regularly in these pages that a key to and part of the fun of having a wine cellar
collection is to drink a wine over a period of years to witness how that
wine ages. This is a testament to that process, for a wine that has
longevity and has evolved gracefully over two decades now.
After fermentation the 2000 vintage was racked off its skins and aged for two years, in a 60/40 blend of new French and American oak.
Consistent with previously reported tasting notes from 2010 and 2012, this 2000 was dark inky purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied. Aromatic, leather, slightly earthy aroma that gives way to complex flavorful blue fruit and ripe black raspberry fruits that turn to raisin, tangy black cherry, cassis, tar, and tobacco turning to an aftertaste of smoke, currant and a hint of plum. Over the course of the evening, the wine seemed to age as the berry fruits gave way to the more fig raisin aged feel while the deep aromatics lingered.
This is a classic Syrah that interestingly is aged two years in American Oak. The winemaker's notes say it should cellar for fifteen or more years. My tasting notes back in 2010 spoke to the full aromatics and flavorful ripe black raspberry, raisin, black cherry, cassis, tar and cedar flavors that turn to an aftertaste of currant and a hint of plum." At ten years of age I noted it was "starting to show age a bit. Drink over next year or so."
In 2012, at twelve years of age, I wrote consistent notes that spoke to
revealing the aging effects of this wine... "Dark inky purple color.
Medium-full bodied. Aromatic, leather, slightly
earthy aroma that gives way to complex flavorful blue fruit and ripe
black raspberry, raisin, black cherry, cassis, tar, and tobacco that
turns to an aftertaste of smoke, currant and a hint of plum. Over the
course of the evening, the wine seemed to age as the berry fruits gave
way to the more fig raisin aged feel while the deep aromatics lingered.
While I gave it a 92 initially on opening, by the end of the night I
gave it a 90."
At fifteen years of age, this wine was aging gracefully and still holding its own, aging consistent with earlier notes back in 2010 and 2012 ... this revealed the same tasting and aging profile, consistent with earlier notes. Bright aromatics fill the room upon opening, the same dark inky purple color and medium body persists.
The notes from 2012 reflected this wine seemed frozen in time at this stage of its life, still holding its own and showing no further diminution of aging.
Tonight, at twenty years, it was showing amazing resilience and still holding on, albeit showing some diminution from aging.
This is consistent with other Cellartracker members' where on 1/7/2012 - monkeylug wrote, "drinking well now even though at the end of its window." and then as late as just recently on 11/24/2005 - rkorchid wrote, "there are still slightly dry tannins, so there is plaenty (sic) of life left in this."
Aromatic, leather, slightly earthy aroma that gives way to complex flavorful blue fruit and ripe black raspberry fruits that turn to raisin, black cherry, cassis, tar, and tobacco turning to an aftertaste of smoke, currant and a hint of plum. Over the course of the evening, the wine seemed to age as the berry fruits gave way to the more fig raisin aged feel while the deep aromatics lingered.
RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14749
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/rosemount-balmoral-syrah-2000.html
Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1997
This was a good pairing with tangy BBQ ribs.
Consistent with earlier tasting notes, "The dark purple colour, is starting to subside to garnet color with a slight hazy brownish hue, full aroma of perfume and fruit - the diminution of fruit continues as this wine is showing its age further with ripe concentrated plum and blackberry and black cherry fruits hanging on but giving way to green bell pepper replacing the ripe raisin fig tones, accented by leather, smoke and a somewhat funky wet wood and cedar with a touch of vanilla and sweet cherry - tightly wound with a tinge of tight tannins and acid on the subdued fruit finish.'
'These notes from 2014 followed my earlier note in 2013 that said, "Its time to drink up as this '97 which is showing its age as the fruit starts to diminish somewhat.
Looking at Cellartracker tasting notes, one writer reports this vintage still holding on while another says his is over the hill. While past its prime, this was still very much still inside the drinking window." Showing that continued diminution, I would say that while still holding, this is nearing the end of its drinking window."
In 2016, it was written, This was a fitting wine to open on New Year's eve, twenty years beyond release, suitable tasting with festive holiday buffet foods of sausages, ham, olives and avocado dips and cheeses.
RM 87 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17074
We discovered and started collecting this wine in the mid-nineties and still hold over four cases spanning a decade of vintages from 1992 to 2002. We hold several vintages in the original six-pack cases from several vintages including this 2000 obtained upon release.
The label was Awarded Wine of the Year in Australia in 1998, it won both a Trophy and a Gold medal at the coveted Decanter World Wine Awards in 2011 and again in 2012 and consistently receives 90+ points from Wine Spectator across multiple Balmoral vintages.
Predominantly sourced from the McLaren Vale sub-region of Seaview, this wine is made from premium parcels from carefully selected vineyards (ranging from 50 to 100 years old) that produce tiny quantities of exceptional fruit. The result is a wine that delivers intense depth of flavour, superb length and fine acidity with a soft, velvety tannin structure and is known to be suitable for long term aging.
Following the 2000 vintages wines opened the past few evenings, Linda prepared a homemade pizza and I pulled from the cellar this 2000 vintage Shiraz. The next evening she prepared BBQ ribs and I opened a 1997 vintage release of the same label for a mini-vertical tasting of the label.
Rosemount Estate Balmoral McLaren Vale South Australia Syrah 2000
I note regularly in these pages that a key to and part of the fun of having a wine cellar
collection is to drink a wine over a period of years to witness how that
wine ages. This is a testament to that process, for a wine that has
longevity and has evolved gracefully over two decades now.After fermentation the 2000 vintage was racked off its skins and aged for two years, in a 60/40 blend of new French and American oak.
Consistent with previously reported tasting notes from 2010 and 2012, this 2000 was dark inky purple/garnet colored, medium-full bodied. Aromatic, leather, slightly earthy aroma that gives way to complex flavorful blue fruit and ripe black raspberry fruits that turn to raisin, tangy black cherry, cassis, tar, and tobacco turning to an aftertaste of smoke, currant and a hint of plum. Over the course of the evening, the wine seemed to age as the berry fruits gave way to the more fig raisin aged feel while the deep aromatics lingered.
This is a classic Syrah that interestingly is aged two years in American Oak. The winemaker's notes say it should cellar for fifteen or more years. My tasting notes back in 2010 spoke to the full aromatics and flavorful ripe black raspberry, raisin, black cherry, cassis, tar and cedar flavors that turn to an aftertaste of currant and a hint of plum." At ten years of age I noted it was "starting to show age a bit. Drink over next year or so."
At fifteen years of age, this wine was aging gracefully and still holding its own, aging consistent with earlier notes back in 2010 and 2012 ... this revealed the same tasting and aging profile, consistent with earlier notes. Bright aromatics fill the room upon opening, the same dark inky purple color and medium body persists.
The notes from 2012 reflected this wine seemed frozen in time at this stage of its life, still holding its own and showing no further diminution of aging.
Tonight, at twenty years, it was showing amazing resilience and still holding on, albeit showing some diminution from aging.
This is consistent with other Cellartracker members' where on 1/7/2012 - monkeylug wrote, "drinking well now even though at the end of its window." and then as late as just recently on 11/24/2005 - rkorchid wrote, "there are still slightly dry tannins, so there is plaenty (sic) of life left in this."
Aromatic, leather, slightly earthy aroma that gives way to complex flavorful blue fruit and ripe black raspberry fruits that turn to raisin, black cherry, cassis, tar, and tobacco turning to an aftertaste of smoke, currant and a hint of plum. Over the course of the evening, the wine seemed to age as the berry fruits gave way to the more fig raisin aged feel while the deep aromatics lingered.
RM 90 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=14749
https://unwindwine.blogspot.com/2018/02/rosemount-balmoral-syrah-2000.html
Rosemount Balmoral McLaren Vale Syrah 1997
Consistent with earlier tasting notes, "The dark purple colour, is starting to subside to garnet color with a slight hazy brownish hue, full aroma of perfume and fruit - the diminution of fruit continues as this wine is showing its age further with ripe concentrated plum and blackberry and black cherry fruits hanging on but giving way to green bell pepper replacing the ripe raisin fig tones, accented by leather, smoke and a somewhat funky wet wood and cedar with a touch of vanilla and sweet cherry - tightly wound with a tinge of tight tannins and acid on the subdued fruit finish.'
'These notes from 2014 followed my earlier note in 2013 that said, "Its time to drink up as this '97 which is showing its age as the fruit starts to diminish somewhat.
Looking at Cellartracker tasting notes, one writer reports this vintage still holding on while another says his is over the hill. While past its prime, this was still very much still inside the drinking window." Showing that continued diminution, I would say that while still holding, this is nearing the end of its drinking window."
In 2016, it was written, This was a fitting wine to open on New Year's eve, twenty years beyond release, suitable tasting with festive holiday buffet foods of sausages, ham, olives and avocado dips and cheeses.
RM 87 points.
https://www.cellartracker.com/wine.asp?iWine=17074
