WINE: CELLARING

If you have a bottle of any of our Montalto wines - Riesling, Chardonnay or Pinot Noir- or our Pennon Hill Pinot Noir, you may be curious as to how it is drinking. Here are winemaker Robin Brockett's tasting notes and recommended drinking times.

Riesling

1998 Montalto Riesling

Tasting note - Fully developed, flat nose a touch oxidised, with toasty notes and less fruit intensity. Palate shows upfront toasty notes with a mineral background.
Recommended drinking - Drink now.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

1999 Montalto Riesling

Tasting note - Fully developed, toasty nose showing citrus notes. Touch dried out on the palate, tight structure, and toasty notes with mineral, citrus background.
Recommended Drinking - At its peak. Drink now.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2001 Pennon Hill Riesling (from same fruit as Montalto)

Tasting note - This wine is at the transition phase from a young wine to showing some aged developed characters. It is developing some toasty notes with citrus fruit and underlying spice. The palate is of medium intensity with citrus fruit, a little toastiness and a mineral background giving over all structure to the wine.
Recommended drinking - It should be enjoyed over the next couple of years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2003 Montalto Riesling

Tasting note - What a great wine. The best Riesling made so far at Montalto. It shows lifted scents of apricot and citrus fruits with an intense spice background. The palate is full, tight, and fresh showing exuberant citrus fruit with a spicy finish.
Recommended drinking - This wine will cellar extremely well and should be drunk over the next 5 to 7 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

Chardonnay

2000 Montalto Chardonnay

Tasting note - Developed complex nose, creamy and nutty with a match stick oak background. Tight mineral palate exhibiting upfront stone fruits, creamy mid palate with a spicy oak finish.
Recommended drinking - Will keep improving over the next couple of years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2001 Montalto Chardonnay

Tasting note - Heavily developed malo nose with caramel, butterscotch and creamy notes with spicy oak in the background. The palate again shows intense malo characters of butterscotch and buttery notes with cedary oak to fill out the wine.
Recommended drinking - This wine has reached its peak and should be drunk over the next year.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2002 Montalto Chardonnay

Tasting note - This is a wine showing youthful and complex aromas with stone fruits, melon and nectarine fruits with a creamy background and nutty oak. The palate is full, tight and restrained with fresh lively stone fruits, creamy and nutty mid palate and matchstick oak finish. This wine exhibits excellent length and complexity.
Recommended drinking - Drink over the next 2 to 3 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

Pinot Noir

1999 Montalto Pinot Noir

Tasting note -This wine is exhibiting advanced oxidation characters.
Recommended drinking - Past its prime.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2000 Montalto Pinot Noir

Tasting note - Aged, complex nose showing a touch of oxidation. It exhibits funky forest floor characters and cedar oak. The palate has good structure but is lacking in fruit weight and is showing aged complexity with an oak dominant back palate.
Recommended drinking - Has reached its peak and should be drunk now.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2001 Montalto Pinot Noir

Tasting note -The nose is complex with lifted dark fruits and plums, spice and some funky notes with an oaky background. The palate is of medium intensity and structure showing dark fruits, funky notes and a charry oak finish. This is rounded out by soft but fine grain tannins.
Recommended drinking - This wine should be drunk over the next 1 to 2 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2003 Montalto Pinot Noir

Tasting note - Youthful and complex nose which shows fragrant fruits of cherry and plum, spice and herbal notes with cedar oak background. The palate is intense and complex, full and fresh. Dark fruits and cherries abound with spice and a charry oak finish. It has excellent structure and length and will reward careful cellaring.
Recommended drinking - Drink over the next 4 to 6 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

1999 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir

Tasting note -Advanced oxidation.
Recommended drinking - Past its prime.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2000 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir

Tasting note - Lifted cherry fruit, spice and caramel aromas with cedar oak. Full palate with upfront cherry fruit with excellent intensity, developed spicy notes with a cedar oak finish.
Recommended drinking - Will continue to drink well over the next 1 to 2 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2001 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir

Tasting note -Cherry and plum fruits dominate the aroma with herbal spicy notes, and cedar oak characters. This wine shows medium intensity on the palate with soft upfront fruits of cherry and plum, and an oaky background.
Recommended drinking - Best drunk over the next year.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005

2002 Pennon Hill Pinot Noir

Tasting note -Complex nose showing lifted scents, dark fruits, cherries with herbal spicy notes rounded out by cedar oak. The palate is young showing vibrant dark fruits and cherries with a spicy oak finish.
Recommended drinking - This wine has excellent structure and intensity and will develop and drink well over the next 2 to 3 years.
Last tasted - 1 June 2005