Riverina

Botrytis semillon bargains from De Bortoli

~ Richard ~ Leave a comment

De Bortoli makes so many wines it’s hard to keep up. And a lightning day trip during vintage last year convinced me of their very serious intents. But as well as their Yarra base, plantings at Heathcote, Rutherglen, plus the incredible amount of Prosecco processed, they have a substantial outpost in the irrigated Riverina, (NSW), where a speciality is botrytised Semillon wines.

The 1982 Noble One was a memorable wine, and the line continues to be made with only a few unco-operative vintages. Having picked botrytis Riesling, I can appreciate the stresses involved in weather-watching, picker availability, dodging “less-than-noble rots” plus the challenges in pressing, fermenting, and manoeuvring wines safely into bottle, without excess VA to detract.

Noble One shows its capacity to absorb an amazing quantity of oak; but the wines that piqued my interest recently are the Deen de Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis Semillon. Sure, it’s a “junior” label that won’t get the best fruit, will see little oak, and get less fanatical winemaking care, but the quality difference is much less dramatic than the price differential. The RRP of $17 half bottle leaves me bewildered at how this is possible, when the wines provide so much character, hedonism and engagement – and have bottle age as well. This pair of wines were made under the stewardship of recently-retired Julie Mortlock (and no doubt Steve Webber continues his strong interest in the line).

I preferred the 2018, and came to no harm drinking a half-glass every few days over a week. My generic match is fresh fruit, but an array of cheeses, or a tea cake will work wonders too.

2017 Deen de Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis semillon 11.5%
Bright gold colour with some copper. Quince, bitter melon, apricot, cumquat, dark honey, vanilla, nougat. Ready! 158 g/l residual sugar.

Drink to 2027, 90 points

2018 Deen de Bortoli Vat 5 Botrytis semillon 9.5%
Bright deep gold. Apricot, cumquat, vanilla, dried pear, fruit peel, ginger. Absolutely seductive, lingering, generously drenched mouthfeel. My guess on residual sugar was >180g/l. It turned out to be 231 g/l! But wrapped in acidity, there was no cloying. This measure is well into the German BA territory, and will be an excellent sensory assessment exercise for wine students, the curious, and furthermore won’t break the bank.

Drink to 2030, 93 points

Revisiting two fortifieds (blind tasting)

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Ideally, I make my tasting notes over several days, noticing nuances and changes. But in a blind tasting there is much more emphasis on speed. Its challenging to see how accurately (or not)  I have described the wine, its age and origins after it’s unmasked. Here were two wines that I have previously reviewed on this site – my descriptions and conclusions were (gratifyingly) consistent – with one important exception.

nv mcwilliams 25 tawny

McWilliams Show reserve Tawny limited release 25 years old 19.5%
Riverina, NSW. 500ml, bottled in 2015. Also reviewed in June 2020.

Khaki/olive colour with an orange rim. There is a lot of vanilla here, with sweet fruit and a savoury finish. Luscious, and convincing with dried citrus fruits, brazil nuts, jersey caramel. Australian for sure, and a tawny style.  South Australia or Rutherglen, and 20 years old (or more). Well I cannot be faulted for not getting the region correct. Made from Grenache, Touriga and Shiraz. Enjoy the decadence!

Drink now, 93 points.

h&h 20 terrantez

Henriques and Henriques 20 y/o terrantez 20%
Madeira. Also reviewed in January 2019

Pale orange/khaki, with a clear rim. Sea-spray, green olives, citrus peel. Tawny port style. Palate is savoury, crisp and prolonged. Acidity is pronounced, massive. Beautiful wine. Madeira? Verdelho? Palate sings with freshness, citrus, nuts, fruitcake- the works. Terrantez is rare, and fits between Verdelho and Bual in sweetness. This wine was 74 g/l residual sugar, but swamped by the acidity, that propels further tasting investigation.

Last time, due to some staleness I found, I gave 88 points. This time no problems, and rather than a life of weeks after opening, a life of months is possible- except in my household.

Drink to 2050, 94 points

2017 de Bortoli Noble One Botrytis semillon 12.5%

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From the Riverina, NSW, where the style was first released by de Bortoli in 1982. With a long track record of making these unctuous dessert styles, this vintage has assorted – credible – trophies and gold medals. Its readily available with an RRP in Australia of around $80 for a full bottle, and around $40 for the half bottle I purchased- less with careful shopping. It’s the “big sibling” of the awesome value “Deen” botrytis semillon I reviewed few months ago.

Light gold colour; generous decadent scent of brown honey, cinnamon, yellow peach, and apricot stonefruit. Cashew oak is evident, but is balanced by the combination of fruit weight and dusty botrytis notes. It’s medium bodied for this style, with a very dense palate. The 170 g/l of residual sugar means the wine is very sweet, but it has bracing acidity (confirmed by the tech specs), and shows a welcome sense of restraint.

It will subdue most desserts, and is another very classy Australian sweet wine.

Drink to 2032 – at least – and 93 points.

Two very different wines

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Different ages, different variety, different hemispheres, but both provided drinking interest and satisfaction.

2008 zilliken sr kab

2008 (Forstmeister Geltz) Zilliken Saarburger Rausch Riesling Kabinett 7.5%
The company’s website is here. From the Mosel, still with a pale lemon colour. Aromatically it shows lime citrus, tropicals, spices and a sense of high acidity. The palate leads with red apple flavours, honeydew melon too, and those spices again, with a dash of pebble. Racy acid ensures the sweetness (60 g/l) is balanced. Some grip on the palate is minor quibble; the wine is drinking well.

To 2024 and 90 points.

2017 deen botrytis sem

2017 De Bortoli Deen Vat 5 botrytis semillon 11.5%
This wine is the junior brother of De Bortoli’s Noble One – more affordable , at well under $20 for a half bottle – and on its day capable of shading its more famous sibling on the wine show circuit.

The Riverina (inland NSW, Australia) is an established home of exotic botrytised Semillon (and other varieties). Lillypilly, McWilliams morning light, and other examples are worth trying. There are also some terrific VFM red wines from the Riverina, with Durif to the fore.

The style here (Semillon with heavy botrytis) is usually much sweeter than Sauternes -not as long-living, or as refined as the best examples- but significantly cheaper. They still have ample acidity to accompany the sweetness.

This wine is golden in colour, ripe with apricot, marmalade and crème brûlée. The palate shows rampant ripe tropical pineapple, and cumquat with some green fruits too. While drenched in sweetness, there is abundant citrus-led acidity to keep this wine fresh for at least another five years. It’s a rich wine style crafted to tickle the senses. Great value.

Drink to 2025 and 90 points.

NV McWilliams Show reserve Limited release Tawny 19.5%

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nv mcwilliams 25 tawny

Humble Australian Riverina fruit (Shiraz, Touriga, Grenache) with a minimum average age of 25 years. Screwcap, and in a 500ml bottle. Amber in colour with a touch of khaki. Toffee, vanilla, mixed salted nuts. The palate is ultra-smooth, with dried fruits, jersey caramels and fig. Clean, fresh, crisp, supple, soothing – light on its feet. It’s one of those wines that sneaks up. It has all the benefits of extended ageing, without the eccentricities that can accumulate. A classy, complete fortified wine.

Drink in good company, otherwise with a film noir and an open fire.

Drink now, 93 points.

2016 Cookoothama Darlington Point Botrytis Semillon 11%

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From the Riverina, New South Wales, where the De Bortoli Noble One produces the best known example of a consistently excellent botrytis Semillon style. The Cookoothama is however, a more affordable option, and at around $22 for a half-bottle, is outstanding value.

The wine is a bright light gold colour, with voluminous scents of orange blossom, ripe apricot, vanilla icing and lime and orange marmalade. This wine is exuberant on the palate, very rich, sweet, powerful and flavour-packed, with enough acidity to avoid any cloying sensations.

This wine has enough power to match most desserts (avoid chocolate though) and is utterly delicious.

This is a wine that I would enjoy while it demonstrates its youthful precocity; a few years won’t hurt, but it’s beautifully pitched for short-term enjoyment.

Drink to 2023, and 92 points