Sally's Paddock Tasting Notes

1989 Sally's Paddock
1989 was an ideal year with a classic ripening period. As a result we had a better crop than usual so this wine was notable for its fine flavours and elegance rather than intensity and power. With time this wine has become fully mature rather sooner that most Sally's Paddocks and is delightful to have now. Can accompany almost any food and perfect for lunch, especially enjoyable for those who love fine old wine.

1990 Sally's Paddock
Medium crimson. Restrained earth/violet/redcurrant/cassis aromas/. Restrained earthy/redcurrant flavours, medium concentration, fine loose-knit tannins, finishing leafy and long.

1991 Sally's Paddock
The thirteenth release - winemaker Neill Robb believes this to be the best since 1976. Restrained new wood character with excellent colour, flavour, finish, balance and mouth feel. Regarded as one of the flagships of Australian wines. Should cellar for at least ten years and perhaps more than twenty in a good cellar. A must if you are serious about cellaring high quality wines.

1992 Sally's Paddock
"Full dark red colour. Very intense vinous berry fruit aromas on the nose. Rich and full on the palate, with big fruit flavours and long finish. Typical Sally's Paddock in a very good year." Very like the 1982. Highly recommended.

1993 Sally's Paddock
A good year, with a reduced crop due to rain during fruit set.
Deep, full, red colour. Surprisingly intense nose, with a complex of delicate fruit aromas, slightly overpowered at the moment by spicy ripe plummy characters. Some cassis aromas, lifted by a subtle eucalyptus all integrated with a background of new oak. Warm hearty and soft on the palate. Typical Sally's Paddock flavours with slightly softer acid/tannin balance than usual, although this will build a bit with development. Long taste profile of wine flavours, light finish but lingering. New American and Nevers Oak evident but not obtrusive. Very much a developmental wine.

1994 Sally's Paddock
A beautiful elegant fine wine. Classic Sally's Paddock from a cooler year. Fine red/purple colour, not deep. Full complex berry aroma. Delightful wine, showing cool, complex, even flavours with excellent mouth feel, delightful elegant lingering finish and wonderful aftertaste. Subtle yet pervasive background flavour of new oak. Reminiscent of the 1980 in finesse, balance and style and may keep longer that would first appear.

1995 Sally's Paddock
This superb full bodied red wine shows all the great characteristics of the best Pyrenees reds. Dark ruby red colour, vibrant fresh aromas of wine made from a bunch of varieties, and rich complex fruit, showing depth of flavour, lovely mouth feel and long finish, all well supported with new American and Nevers oak.
Possibly the best in its style since 1981, certainly a match for the highly regarded 1985. This big wine should keep for at least 20 years, well cellared and is the counterpoint style to the great, elegant 1991.

1996 Sally's Paddock
The wine has an intense deep purple/red colour with a ripe aroma of tobacco leaf and cassis showing off the complex characters of the varieties in the blend. Black cherries and plums from the Cabernet Sauvignon, violets and tobacco leaf from the Cabernet Franc, with hints of spice from the Shiraz. The palate shows good fruit weight, with an intense depth of complex flavour showing the richness and quality of the fruit.

1997 Sally's Paddock
''This new release truly is an exciting wine" said Neill. It has a deep brooding garnet colour, a briary redcurrant and tobacco leaf nose, mainly from the Cabernet with the Shiraz adding dried spice like pepper, clove and cardamom.

1998 Sally's Paddock
Deep crimson. Intense youthful chocolate/blackcurrant/menthol aromas with hints of cedar/spice. Youthful, blackcurrant pastille/cedar/violet flavours, fine well resolved tannins which build up firm and gravelly, lovely fruit-sweetness and flavour length.

1999 Sally's Paddock
Medium deep crimson. Leafy/undergrowth redcurrant aromas with hints of violet. Deeply concentrated wine with leafy/undergrowth redcurrant flavours, grainy/grippy tannins, building up firm but with a long fruit-sweet finish.

2000 Sally's Paddock
Powerful looking wine that has delicious beg berry flavours on the front and mid palate, with a full and lingering finish, combining finely integrated grape and oak tannins. The mouth is characteristically rich and silky. Better than the 97 & 99 and probably even challenging the magnificent 91 vintage.

2001 Sally's Paddock
A lovely deep Garnet colour, with aromas of Violets, Morello cherries, Cloves and a hint of blackberries. Intense and delightful. Soft, balanced, silky and smooth on the palate showing mouth filling Autumn berry flavours. Medium body of similar weight to the 1991. Hints of Blackberries married with subtle new American and Nevers Oak makes a complete and delicious wine. A powerful lingering finish redolent with berry fruit flavours and soft tannins which lasts and lasts.

2002 Sally's Paddock
The 2002 Sally's Paddock is a spectacular wine showing the intensifying effect of several years of drought conditions. Exhibiting the typical layers of flavours characteristic of this wine, it is deeper and more dense than most. It has an intense colour of deep Garnet with purple tinges. Aromas of crushed violets and rose petal predominate, with some clove and complex spice notes and a hint of black pepper married with new oak. The overall palate impression is of restrained power and depth. Initially tasting of maraschino cherries and wild berry fruits the middle palate is a wonderful mix of layered grape flavours. The finish shows intense grape characteristics integrated with fine tannins and oak leaving an intriguing and slightly mysterious aftertaste of spicy berries. This wonderful wine is very reminiscent of the magnificent 1981 Sally's Paddock, it should cellar well for many, many years.

2003 Sally's Paddock
The most difficult year since 1983. The 2003 Sally's Paddock is a dark ruby colour, deep and mysterious. It exhibits smells of violets, roses other floral notes. With some vanilla, white pepper, leather, cigar box, and wild berry aromas. Complex and complicated. The wine has intense dark berry and black cherry flavours leading to a soft, rich, lifted middle palate. Powerful grape wine flavours on the back palate followed by a long lingering finish. Aftertaste ofAutumn berries with a hint of Amarone. Integrated tannins and new oak characters all over. Cellaring: Medium to long term. Much like to 1983, which is still drinking well and full of interesting flavours.

2004 Sally's Paddock
This wine has a beautiful garnet colour with tinges of purple.  It has a restrained, and complex nose, with aromas of violets, cinnamon, cigar box, poppies, chocolate, mocha and vanilla beans.  The palate is beautifully balanced with intense and complex flavours of autumn berries, autumn fruits, spice in a melange of grape wine married to subtle new French and American oak.  It has a sensation of elegance and incipient sophistication in its youthful fruitfulness.  Typically soft tannins, combined with intense wild berry fruits and a hint of green almonds which give a long and seductive finish.

2005 Sally's Paddock

Dense colour, beautiful deep crimson tending to burgundy. The aromas are, as usual, very  complex. There is noticeable new wood with dense and slightly obscure berry/spice aromas. Some chocolate and cigar box. Wonderfully full and pleasant. The palate exhibits the same deceptively smooth, soft, even texture that is usual in Sally's Paddock. Sweet fresh fruit is evident early leading to elusive Mocha and spice characters, so seamlessly interwoven and balanced it is hard to discriminate individual flavours. The Middle palate is long and full showing some vanilla/ new oak married to powerful, restrained berry fruit flavour. The finsh is lifted and vey long tasting leaving an impression of cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg. This wine has already come together as a complete and delicious tasting experience and should become even more delicious given some time to develop. Will keep at least fifteen years but should be a perfect drink after another 5 years.