1997 Wines

Appearance: Deep crimson ruby in colour. Nose: The wine exhibits sweet ripe spicy plum, raspberry and blackberry aromas with exotic five spice, white pepper, anise, tar and dusty hints followed by sweet, perfumed, leather, dark chocolate and smoky hints. Palate: Sweet fruit on the palate, rich, soft and complex with vibrant texture, layers of velvety chewy tannins and a long and silky finish. Food: Seared saddle of hare with black pepper and juniper pan juices.

One of the finest Howard Park Rieslings now emerging from its shell and developing into a complex wine. Attractive, bright, light yellow hues. Lovely savoury toasty characters, fresh and bright, citric, primary aromas. Very good palate, rich in primary fruits; citric, savoury, quite intense wine, great flavour extension. Clean finish.

It’s a Grange all right. Not the prettiest Grange, nor the biggest boldest Grange but when it comes to iconic Australian wine there is no bigger name than Penfolds Grange. This is a more restrained vintage but still aging beautifully with its dark mocha fruit now given additional interest by some cedary/dusty complexity and balanced tannins. At its peak and ready to pop.

It’s a Grange all right. Not the prettiest Grange, nor the biggest boldest Grange but when it comes to iconic Australian wine there is no bigger name than Penfolds Grange. This is a more restrained vintage but still aging beautifully with its dark mocha fruit now given additional interest by some cedary/dusty complexity and balanced tannins. At its peak and ready to pop.

In the Penfolds tradition of trial and innovation our winemakers embarked on a project in 1995 titled 'RWT' - meaning 'Red Winemaking Trial' - to create a new Australian Shiraz integrating the rich, generous flavours of Barossa Valley Shiraz with the finesse of tightly-grained French oak. The result is a fine wine of great elegance and depth of flavour. RWT is second only to Grange in the Penfolds Shiraz hierarchy, although the two wines are stylistically different. RWT expresses Shiraz more openly than Grange. This is partly a function of the grapes themselves and partly a result of maturation in French oak, rather than stronger, sweeter-flavoured American oak. RWT is opulent and voluptu...

We don't often get to showcase mature reds here at Cracka. Well, we do sometimes but it's still a rarity and definitely something to be celebrated, particularly when they're as good as this. A leafy, characteristically dry red in a very structured, idiosyncratic style this has power but in an elegant, mature sort of frame. A wine for contemplating, in big glasses, with some sort of slow cooked lamb dish.

Do you know what the attraction of a wine like this is? It's moderation. That sensation of not being overwhelmed by a wine, with absolute power traded off in favour of all sorts of lighter, secondary leafy elegance mingling with that ripe fruit. It's almost sophisticated actually, built in a style that rarely impresses on it's own and needs a suitably interesting dish to bring it to life. A wine to ponder over even.

Colour: The colour is mid straw with hints of gold in colour. Nose: On the nose there is stone fruit, melon and fig characters as well as savoury oak aromas. Palate: On the palate there are flavours of peach, melon and fig and well balanced acidity.

This is the premium, top of the line Shiraz from Tatachilla and it is a hell of a wine. Now soft and cedary with some time in bottle, but still showing that characteristic big McLaren Vale finish, it is the perfect partner for a lamb roast.

Colour: Inky black/red. Nose: Concentrated with lifted smoky oak, tobacco and cherry aromas. Palate: The combination of fruit flavours and oak accents give this wine texture and dimension only achievable from great vineyards. A big wine showing immense concentration and layers of sweet fruit bound by firm tannins and coffee-like oak.

The colour is cherry red with a purple tint. The aroma shows lively ripe blackberry fruit that is enhanced by attractive complex bottle age characters, in particular cigar box and cedar with hints of vanillin. The wine is a medium to full bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with well-integrated ripe fruit and savoury tannins that prolong the finish.

Colour: Deep, dark youthful red. Nose: Complex aromas of currants, black cherries, mint and cedary oak. Palate: The palate is smooth, creamy and inky with sweet cinnamon spice, mint flavours and cherry notes. It has a soft, velvety texture with sweet fruitcake flavours.

Pale gold straw colour with intense tropical fruit and citrus aromas. The gentle oak and fruit flavours combine perfectly to give a richly textured palate. Partial melolactic fermentation has increased the complexity of this elegant, mid-weight wine.

R.D. (Recently Disgorged) is unique both in its concept and style. There is no equivalent in the Champagne wine environment. R.D. develops delicate and complex aromas as well as gathering a unique style of its own, highly acclaimed by the Bollinger lovers and true wine connoisseurs. Bollinger Wine Reviews & Accolades An extension of La Grande Anee in that it is aged on lees for eight to 10 years. The wine is hand disgorged and every bottle checked individually. This is a stunning example of the best of Bollinger with its powerful and penetrating palate that lingers forever. 98 Points. - Ray Jordan, The West Australian - October 2008.

Opaque, deep red ripe red berries together with varietal, leafy cassis fruits. Stylish integrated oak, hints of smokiness and subtle cedar aromas. rich and ripe with dark cherry and raspberry fruit flavours, some dark chocolate and integrated smoky oak.

Wine Colour: Deep earthy red with an intense brick red and plumy hue. Wine Bouquet: Developing cedar, cigar box & leathery overtones. Strong mint fruit with liquorice, coffee and ripe berry characters. Wine Palate: Mint, spice and stewed fruit of black currant and cherry. An elegantly structured wine with complexities of mushroom and earthiness. The palate has great persistence of flavour supported by supple French Oak tannins. Taylors Wine Reviews and Accolades Gold Medal: 2000 Sydney Regional Wine Show

The colour has developed to a tawny red but still has vibrancy to the red hues. Great complexity on the nose. Aged aromas of leather, earth and red spices. No one character dominates - background vanillin from the oak and briar Hunter Valley notes. The palate shows soft, earthy maturity. If anything a slightly better year in McLaren Vale than the Hunter Valley and riper Christmas pudding flavours of the Vale make for a richer palate. The tannins have definitely softened but assist in the 'length' of the wine, that is, the flavour stays right through to the after palate. Great complexity and flavours. Ripe tannins, good acid backbone and now, tannins from maturation round out the excelle...

Colour - Deep red with a hint of brick. Nose - Dark cherry and berry fruits with complex secondary characters or goose liver pate and spice. Palate - A powerful wine with concentrated rich berry flavours with complex developed secondary components of spice and meat balanced by fine elegant tannin and a rich silky mouth feel.

Colour: Pale yellow with hints of pale green. Nose: All the hallmarks of premium aged Riesling are displayed, with fresh lime and floral overtones complexed with the classic toast and honey associated with aged Riesling. Palate: Typical Clare Valley austere, flinty acid structure gives the wine a tight backbone to support the complex characters of lime, cinnamon and toast associated with the aging process. The finish is long and lean with hints of aged creamy characters.