Seppelt
Regional Range New Releases Autumn 2006 With Paul Ippolito Seppelt
has been one of those wine brands that have been able to transcend the
years well, even the more turbulent ones, gaining and retaining a solid
reputation for quality varietal cool climate wines that deliver
consistency, yet are relatively affordable. The
brand is still indeed about just those things - quality, trust,
consistency and value (well the latter being more of a subjective
thing). In the past few years though, the Seppelt
wines have not only held their own but have gone up another level in
all dimensions e.g. the acclaim for the recent releases of the St
Peters Shiraz wine, which is redefining the higher level of premium
quality wines in Australia being only one example that demonstrates the
positive direction of the brand. Indeed nearly wine for wine across
their whole product range is receiving some form of critical acclaim
and recognition for producing really good benchmark styles of
wines. A fair bit of the credit for this
lies with Chief Winemaker Arthur O’Connor (pictured, bottom
right) and his team of winemakers who, although engaged only in recent
years, has quickly and definitively stamped his mark on the brand, by
working cleverly with a range of grape fruit and vineyards throughout
Great Western Victoria. The Regional Range series of
the 2004 reds and 2005 whites epitomises and showcases what
Seppelt’s central and western Victorian vineyards are capable
of producing. Distinctiveness through regionality and wines of
drinkability both now and into the future are the goals that Seppelt
set out to achieve with the wines from the Range. Arthur
O’Connor is really proud of his two reds in this release and
reckons the 2004 vintage was just outstanding for Seppelt - with long
warm ripening providing concentration of flavours yet with a level of
elegance. I must say that I found the white wines
to be really impressive in this release as well, both in terms of the
quality of the fruit and the winemaking that has gone into them. The
Marsanne Rousanne is really different, French in style making for
unique drinking. The Pinot Gris is classic and varietal and the
Chardonnay is just stunning and benchmark stuff. In fact the whites
were for me so good that I believe they even took some focus off the
two reds. So here’s my take on these new
releases which have crept up in price over the years and are all around
$29.99 RRP each but in reality are found for far less and even under
$20 a bottle if you shop around.  Coborra Pinot Gris 2005: Pale
straw. Subtle nashi pears, crisp green apple, hints of tropical fruits
along with a tight minerally slateyness. The fruit is pure and
polished. Interestingly the palate is smooth and light creamy - a
certain richness with lively acidity and well rounded mouth feel and a
good length. French in style. Drink now for 2/3 years with roast pork.
Jaluka Chardonnay 2005:
This is an outstanding Chardonnay is sourced from the Drumborg Vineyard
Henty (as is the Pinot Gris). A youthfully brilliant pale straw.
Classy, elegant and focused. Varietal in nature - think white
nectarine, apple, melon, light citrus and tropical fruits. Polished
fruit emanates with amazing purity. Soft and balanced in terms of
acidity. Integrated tight oak meshes the fruit together resulting in a
long complex finish. Drink over the next 5 years, Try with king prawn
risotto. Bellfield Marsanne Rousanne 2005: From
the Glenlofty Vineyard in the Pyrenees. Pale yellow with copper tints.
Aromatic and a touch of pungency. Spicy and French (Rhone Valley) in
character - distinctive and deeply fragrant. Quite unique in nature.
Rich and smooth - think almonds, nutmeg, toffee, caramel, spicy apple
with honey. A mouth filling palate of delicious fruit. Drink over 2-4
years. Something different and an interesting wine that I really
enjoyed. Moyston Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot
2004: Emanating from the Grampian and Bendigo
region. Deep dark purple crimson. Intense rich ripe succulent plums,
blackberry and liquorice with subtle earthy hints. Fruit focused and
intense. Still young and vibrant with sweet coconut oak and good
acidity. Quite concentrated. Well rounded and soft, fine tannins
ensuing. Seamless in mouth feel. Needs time to evolve in the glass.
Well blended. A very good red wine. Try over 5-7 years. Have with a
roast rack of lamb. Chalambar Shiraz 2004: Again
from the Grampians and Bendigo regions. Deep crimson purple red. Tight
and restrained. Quite elegant. Intense blackberry, mulberry and rich
plum aromas. Earthy and distinctive spicy fruit. Vibrant and fresh.
Fine grainy tannins ensue, the oak is integrated well with the fruit.
Medium to long length. Lingers long. Quite an elegant wine. Try with 5
plus years and with roast beef. Website: Seppelt.com.au
Paul
can be contacted by email at Paul_Ippolito@hotmail.com
where you can also request to be placed on his mailing list for his
wine newsletter.
About Paul Ippolito.
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