WTN: Grange '97, 707 '98, Perrin CdP, Pirramima

Notes from a hastily put-together lunch at Elbert's Steak Room but featuring some stunning wines.

Pirramima ACJ 2004 - ACJ stands for Alexander Campbell Johnson who originally bought the land where the Pirramima vineyards now stand. McLaren Vale. Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Petit Verdot. Deep violet. Some heat. Leather, coffee, menthol and caramel. Quite dry and juicy. Very nicely put together. Medium-bodied, ripe fruit, good acidity. Any oak is subdued and well-integrated. Quite forward and well-balanced. Very good.

Roger Perrin Chateauneuf du Pape Reserve des Vieilles Vignes 2003 - Very slight stink. Quite sweet, plummy. Very tannic. Ripe fruit, medium length. Definitely needs serious cellar time. Come back to this in 3 years. Good now with good upside potential although the sweetness might turn off some people.

Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - Inky. Fragrant wood. Dry, spicy, cassis, black fruits, high roast coffee beans. Lots going on here. Good depth of flavor. Excellent balance. Still has a bit of tannin. Another 3 years or so and this should be outstanding. For now, excellent.

Penfolds Grange 1997 - Very dark. On the nose, mostly leather. Beautiful sweet, ripe fruit. Coffee, chocolate, cassis, charred wood, black olives. There's a little squirt of acidity on the finish that cleans the palate. Starts out quite smooth but the tannins develop power as it takes in oxygen. Complex, powerful, deep flavor, excellent balance.I wish we had more than 2.5 hours for lunch so we could let this develop a little more. Will obviously develop a great deal more with cellaring but already, this is an outstanding wine.

[David M. Bueker]

Bin 707 and Grange. Nice night. I've only ever had a couple of glasses of Grange, but I can see how it influenced a generation (and more) of Aussie winemakers, and I can see where they afterwards went wrong on their own.

Notes from a hastily put-together lunch at Elbert's Steak Room but featuring some stunning wines.
Penfolds Bin 707 Cabernet Sauvignon 1998 - Inky. Fragrant wood. Dry, spicy, cassis, black fruits, high roast coffee beans. Lots going on here. Good depth of flavor. Excellent balance. Still has a bit of tannin. Another 3 years or so and this should be outstanding. For now, excellent.

Thanks for the notes. I bought the 1998 707s [and 389s] and still have most of the 707s and few of the 389s.

The 389s are already drinking well and for my taste the further increase in complexity that more age might bring will not offset the gradually fading fruit - so they will not be kept too much longer.

However the 707 I had recently was overburdened with oak [a bit like being in a saw mill while oak planks were being cut] although there was plenty of fruit and other matter with it but just IMO a long way from being integrated and for me too raw and primary – and I tend to like my red wines on the young side.

For example my very general Bordeaux guideline is 10-20 years rather than 20-30 with a few exceptions so perhaps your 707s are, for whatever reason, more evolved or we just enjoy our wine differently. You do suggest another 3 years but from my last bottle I would have said considerably longer but, like you, I feel the wine will be very good – and shows that top Australian wines can mature interestingly over many years.

Nigel,

Thanks for the points you bring up. I also have a couple of '98 389s that I haven't tried in over a year so I appreciate your take on these. Last time I did try a 389, I thought it much more oaky than the 707 although both manage to avoid its excessive use IMO. If I recall right, the Penfolds Rewards of Patience book says both these wines are just starting to peak and will last another 15 to 20 years! I'll try to hold a few back and see how it goes in 10 years or so.