CELLARING SUGGESTIONS 2003

TEN YEAR TASTING
(AUGUST 2003)

In August 2003, Stephanie Toole, Jeffrey Grosset, Paul Smith and newsletter editor, Darren Jahn, tasted all the wines produced by Stephanie since she took over Mount Horrocks in 1993. This summary is designed to guide you toward the ideal drinking time for those stashed away bottles or when purchasing an aged release in a restaurant, at retail or on the auction circuit. We must remind ourselves that cellaring potential is largely dependant on the conditions upon which the wine has been stored. If you live in far north Queensland and have a few bottles that you’ve unfortunately been unable to cellar in ideal conditions, then take at least 2-3 years off our recommendation.

Very simply put, the ideal conditions in which to store wine are at a relatively constant temperature, the lower the average temperature, the better. Wines sealed with a cork should be stored on their side, with a screw cap this is not necessary. Each year we will update the most recent vintages and new releases.

	A sound wine, if slightly disappointing. Usually not to Stephanie’s preferred style.
	Good quality, showing desirable varietal character, keeping well if older.
	A delicious drink, great varietal character and has that extra notch of winemaker influenced complexity.
	Outstanding example of its style and in the ideal Horrocks mould – layers of flavour, great length and further cellaring potential.
	Textbook varietal character, exemplary balance, extraordinary length and long-term cellaring potential. In short, it has everything.

+ When the panel argued for too long, we agreed that depending on the taster, the wine could be one notch higher than the eventual consensus. Some would call this “sitting on the fence”!

Watervale Riesling

1993		Hanging in there beautifully. Drink before end of 2003.
1994		A very fine wine indeed. Drink now to 5 years.
1995		Questionable storage. Drink before end of 2003.
1996		A great wine. Drink now to 3 years.
1997		A fantastic drink. Drink now to 2 years.
1998		Drinking very well right now. Drink now to 5 years.
1999		Very good. Drink now to 3 years.
2000	+	Keep this little beauty. Drink now to 8 years.
2001		Classic Riesling. Drink now to 12 years.
2002		Pure fruit and class – keep. Drink now to 15 years.
2003		Refined and elegant – all style. Drink now to 15 years.

Cordon Cut Riesling

1993		Complex, beguiling wine – reminiscent of biscotti. Drink before end of 2003.
1994		Delicious, unctuous glass of aged sweet Riesling. Drink before end of 2003.
1995		The most developed, starting to dry out – but still a tasty drink now. Drink before end of 2003.
1996		An exotic, elegant, amazingly youthful wine– scrumptuous! Drink now to 3 years.
1997		Beginning to caramelise but drinking very well. Drink now to 2 years.
1998		Forward but delicious – plenty of length. Drink now to 3 years.
1999		Rich flavours, starting to dry out – very good indeed. Drink now to 3.
2000		Florals and a touch of orange marmalade. Drink now to 5 years.
2001		Luscious, lingering, essence of the grape. Drink now to 7 years.
2002		Pure, intense, concentrated Riesling. Drink now to 8 years.

Watervale Semillon

1993		Fabulously aged, complex wine. Drink before end of 2003.
1994		A great example of aged Semillon. Drink now to 5 years.
1995		In solid condition but not worth keeping. Drink before end of 2003.
1996		A really great wine. Drink now to 5 years.
1997		Reflects a very hot year – disappointing. Drink before end of 2003.
1998		Not true to the Mount Horrocks style. Drink before end of 2003.
1999		Simply delicious. Drink now to 6 years.
2000		A terrific, complex Semillon. Drink now to 3 years.
2001	+	Outstanding. Drink now to eight years.
2002		Finely balanced fruit and oak – very, very good. Drink now to 8 years.

Watervale Chardonnay

1994		Fruit is beginning to fall away, otherwise sound. Drink before end of 2003.
1995		Unfortunately past its best. Drink before end of 2003.
1996		A complex, powerful wine. Drink now to 3 years.
1997		Sound but reflective of the year. Drink before end of 2003.
1998		Shows some extra complexities – a good drink now. Drink before end of 2003.
1999		Tasty but a touch broad. Drink before end of 2003.
2000		Well-integrated and flavoursome. Drink now to 3 years.
2001		Generously flavoured, complex and well-balanced. Drink now to 4 years.
2002		Fresh, vibrant, lively fruit – very good flavour and balance. Drink now to 6 years.

Clare Valley Cabernet Merlot

1993		Well balanced, mature, complex cabernet. Drink before end of 2003.
1994		Fruit cake and cigar box, excellent tannin structure. Drink now to 3 years.
1995		Delicious developed characters – cigar box, cocoa and nuts. Drink now to 2 years.
1996		Elegant, refined, shows classic leafy notes. Good length. Drink now to 5 years.
1997		Complex briar-savoury characters over quality ripe fruit. Drink now to 4 years.
1998		Intense ripe fruit with chocolate complexity. Drink now to 6 years.
1999		Classic varietal structure, flavour and elegance. Drink now to 7 years.
2000		Intense berries with savoury notes indicating shorter life-span. Drink now to 6 years.
2001	+	Everything you want in a young (pre-release) Cabernet. Concentrated and persistent. Drink now to 10 years.

Clare Valley Shiraz

1996		Great example of the more elegant shiraz of the past. Drink now to 8 years.
1997		Tending to the porty style – drink now. Drink now to 2 years.
1998		Classic rich ripe berry, pepper and spice. Long dry tannins. Drink now to 6 years.
1999		Intense, full-flavoured style, great mouthfeel and length. Drink now to 7 years.
2000		Lifted fruit, in a slightly savoury mould. Well balanced and already drinking very well. Drink now to 6 years.
2001		Fresh plums and violets, fine (pre-release) tannins and great structure. Drink now to 10 years.