Now the cat is well and truly out of the bag. 1998 is a great Australian red wine vintage, perhaps the best overall since 1990 and 1991, perhaps even since 1962. Of all the wine regions known for their red wines, only Margaret River experienced anything but perfect conditions, and their best vineyards should still have made some excellent reds. Even the Hunter Valley had a sensational early red wine vintage delivered in perfect weather. Given that they’re sold earlier than the wines made from Bordeaux and Rhone varieties, the stunning pinot noirs are already sold out or just waiting to be. So, if you haven’t already been snooping around with the credit card, your time might be limited. Great Australian pinot noirs from 1998 have been made in several of our cooler regions, like the Yarra Valley, Mornington Peninsula, Macedon, the Adelaide Hills, Gippsland and Geelong. Tasmania also experienced an excellent 1998 vintage. The best I have tasted to this early stage are those of Lenswood Vineyards, Bass Phillip, Coldstream Hills (Reserve), Domaine A, Giaconda, Massoni, Paringa Estate, Grosset and Bindi (Block Five). Clearly, as more are released over coming months, this tally can be expected to increase. Even fewer of the premium shirazes have made it to market, but the early signs from most recognised shiraz regions are exceptional. From Canberra, Clonakilla’s is exceptional, while other NSW shirazes of superb standard are the Tyrrell’s Vat 11 Baulkam Shiraz and Rosemount Estate’s Orange Vineyard Shiraz. The barrel samples of both of Best’s shirazes from 1998 (see page 9) are little short of exceptional, while other wines I have tasted from Coonawarra and western and central Victoria lose little by comparison. The extraordinary richness and power of barrel samples of Pepper Tree Reserve Coonawarra Merlot 1998 and the Parker Terra Rossa First Growth (see pages 5-6) amply confirm what Coonawarra’s growers have been saying for several months – that 1998 will be one of the best ever for the region. Orlando’s Lawson’s Shiraz from Padthaway (reviewed last issue) is destined to be one of the best ever wines under this impressive label. Newly released, the Metala 1998 Shiraz Cabernet (see pages 14-15) from Langhorne Creek reflects what a fine vintage it was for the regions to the more immediate south of Adelaide. The warmth and consistency of the 1998 Barossa season has been reflected in the extraordinary concentration and opulence of flavours seen in the barrels of regional benchmarks like Grant Burge’s Meshach and Charlie Melton’s Nine Popes (see page 12). Although their seasons were warmer than average, neither the Barossa nor the McLaren Vale experienced the extreme degree of conditions which in 1997 saw vines shut down due to excessive heat and the eventual appearance in so many finished wines of both over-ripe and under-ripe flavours. The small number of red wines I have tasted from the Clare Valley in 1998, which include an exceptional The Fergus Grenache by Tim Adams, suggest that this region has also cashed in on the 1998 phenomenon. So, while so many people will fuss over the way to see in the year 2000 and fret about the quality of the wine it will ultimately produce, take my tip and focus more strongly on building a decent cellar reserve of a vintage that will soon have everyone crowing for a lot longer than their New Year’s memories – the incredible, remarkable and possibly even one-off year of 1998.
