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Redbank, located in the Pyrenees region of Central Victoria, is an important small Australian wine producer. Its flagship wine, Sally’s Paddock, has been an auction staple for nearly twenty years and highly regarded by collectors and wine enthusiasts. It is one of Langton’s original Classified wines and continues to attract steady demand from buyers throughout Australia.
Sally’s paddock – the four hectare vineyard planted by Neil Robb and his wife Sally in 1973 – was originally planted with Shiraz. Over subsequent years the “misses” of this un-irrigated vineyard were re-planted with Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc. The vines are established on alluvial gravels over rich, friable, red clay soils at an altitude of 420 metres. The wines are on the elegant side, although they can show plenty of palate richness in a good vintage. The wines display plenty of blackcurrant pastille and cedar wood aromas, with underlying oak and fine, grippy tannins.
In today’s wine auction market Sally’s Paddock lies in the shadow of the pseudo-cult wine scene and the hip enthusiasm for profoundly concentrated and perfumed South Australian Shirazes. In some circles the wine is considered old fashioned. The wine is a blend of Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Cabernet Franc – a palette of aromas and textures woven together without any variety dominating the wine – a winemaking philosophy which is adhered to every vintage.
The wine is made with a laissez-faire approach. The fruit is hand-picked and then lightly crushed before batch-fermentation. At the end of fermentation the wine is drained and gently pressed off in small basket presses. Maturation takes place in a combination of new (60-70%) French (Nevers) and American oak puncheons (475 litres).
I recently tasted through 12 consecutive vintages (1990-2001) of Sally’s Paddock with Neill Robb at the Victorian Wine Exhibition in Sydney. While it is certainly an elegant style, I was impressed by the structure and overall restrained power of the wine. Sally’s Paddock almost teeters on a maturation style where fruit plays a dominant role. The new oak barely pokes through in the wine, yet it clearly underpins the overall style. The un-irrigated Sally’s Paddock vineyard has had to endure several years of drought conditions resulting in reduced crops with concentrated berries in more recent vintages. This may in part account for the increased volume of fruit on the palate. Both the 2000 and 1998 vintages are bloody good with superb definition and structure. The 2001 and 1999 are also quietly impressive with firmer tannins but well focussed fruit. The 1996, 1994, 1992 and 1991 have all matured very well, demonstrating an excellent consistency in quality over the years. The sinewy tannins in the 1990 are beginning to show above the fruit, suggesting it may have done its dash.
The production of Sally’s Paddock is small, generally around 1200 dozen a year. Drought conditions continue to impact on the vineyard. Neill Robb reckons he may only get around 200-300 dozen this year. “I might not be able to make Sally’s Paddock this year,” says Neill, “not because of the quality of fruit – but because we won’t be able to supply all of our loyal customers”.
I think ‘light and shade’ is an important element of ultra-fine Australian wine. Over the last decade many wine producers have decided not to release a particular vintage because it doesn’t fit into a style. At the recent Penfolds Rewards of Patience tasting there was discussion among wine writers whether the 2000 Grange – a multi-district blend – should be released. Unless a vineyard has been ravaged by bushfire, damaged by hail or eaten by locusts I think the wine should be made. What is the point of wine if it doesn’t show some sense of place or vintage character? Henschke’s Hill of Grace vineyard in the Eden Valley (Barossa) has also had a difficult decade with production levels down. Yet it is the decade of the 1990s which has brought considerable fame to the wine. It is the unpredictable nature of single vineyards that is so appealing. In a world ‘homogenized’ and ‘branded’ to the point of blandness, it is these type of wines that remind us of nature’s power and wonder. I really look forward to seeing the release of the 2002 AND 2003 Sally’s Paddock.
Redbank Sally’s Paddock Tasting Notes
2001
Medium deep crimson. Intense liquorice/black cherry aromas with some mocha notes. A very well focussed palate with liquorice/black cherry flavours, a core of fruit sweetness, fine grippy tannins building up firm and tight at the finish. Medium term wine. 89/100
2000
Medium deep crimson. Perfumed cassis/black cherry/dark chocolate aromas with some aniseed notes. A beautifully balanced and well concentrated wine with clear cassis fruit and cedar/dark chocolate characters balanced by fine slinky/lacy tannins and underlying oak. Finishes firm with plenty of flavour length. Superb wine. 95/100
1999
Medium crimson. Aromatic wine with mocha/leafy/violet aromas. Deeply concentrated redcurrant/mulchy flavours with fine leafy/grainy tannins. Finishes a touch bitter at the finish. 85/100
1998
Medium deep crimson. Complex chocolate/black berry/mocha aromas. Elegantly structured, quite minerally palate, with cassis/blackberry pastille/cedar flavours and slatey nuances, fine chocolaty tannins finishing firm but with plenty of flavour length. A lovely vintage. 93/100
1997
Medium deep crimson. Spicy/mocha/cedar aromas with some leafy notes. The palate is well concentrated with mocha/red currant fruit and some mulchy characters. Tannins are sinewy and firm building up very tight and grippy at the finish. 86/100
1996
Deep crimson. Intense dark chocolate/violet aniseed notes. Fresh well-balanced wine with dark chocolate/black berry/violet fruit and some leafy notes. Rich chocolaty tannins finishing firm but with plenty of flavour length. Has knitted really well. 90/100
1995
Medium crimson. Fruit pastille/earthy aromas with some complex bitumen notes. The palate is quite sinewy with a core of blackcurrant pastille/bitumen flavours, some mineral/wetstone nuances finishing firm and tight. Not a long term wine but nice to drink. 84/100
1994
Medium deep crimson. Developed coffee/choco-berry aromas with some malt oak complexity. A fine grained palate with cassis/leather/choco-berry fruit, fine slinky tannins which build up firm and tight at the finish. A well concentrated and balanced wine with plenty of flavour length. 88/100
1993
Medium deep crimson. Blackcurrant/leafy/menthol aromas with some floral/violet notes. Very tight ‘cold’ wine with blackcurrant/leafy flavours and sinewy dry tannins. Finishes very firm. The least vintage of this tasting. Drink up. 82/100
1992
Medium deep crimson. Dark cherry/aniseed/coffee aromas with some complex silage/leafy notes. The palate is rich, generous and flavoursome with concentrated dark cherry/plummy flavours, some developed mocha/leafy characters and fine grippy tannins. Finishes firm. 91/100
1991
Medium deep crimson. Beautifully complex mocha/cedar/red currant aromas. A richly flavoured wine with deep set mocha-berry fruit, fine grained chocolaty tannins and superb flavour length. A much better bottle than previous tasting. 94/100
1990
Medium deep crimson. Redcurrant/cassis/mocha leafy aromas and flavours. The palate is quite soupy and concentrated but generously flavoured with rich plum cake/mocha fruit and underlying fine sinewy tannins. Probably at or near its peak. 90/100
Andrew Caillard MW
Langton’s
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