- Bendigo/Grampians, VIC - $16-$29
- Screwcap
- 14.0%alc
Seppelt's Chalambar is a wine which I eagerly await the release of each year. Apart from the slightly raw edged and blocky 2005, it's delivered some brilliant wines across recent vintages. 2007 did provide some serious headaches for Victorian growers though...
Aromatically subdued, closed even; the 2007 Chalambar presents a generously oaked fragrance overlying stewed plum and currant undertones, with lashings of spicy cedar. Its disappointing palate lacks the concentration and depth of previous vintages, delivering a hollower, syrupy expression of ultra-ripe dark red and black fruit flavours. An assertive extract of sweet, toasty cedar oak easily swallows up its primary fruit, gently pushing the wine into a simple finish devoid of the fine tannins, structure, or length of fruit usually associated with this label.
X A real let down for Chalambar, but 2007 is hardly a vintage that Victorians will look back on with fond memories. Drink to 2013.
85 points
Hi, just wanted to say how happy I am to have discovered your site - I am also passionate about wine and love reading / writing / talking about it. I am no expert, but love learning more and your reviews will help me to do that. Maybe one day I can leave my current job and head into the wine industry.
ReplyDeleteI was looking for a review of the 2004 Chalambar as I just picked one up over the weekend and am hoping for something a bit above average. Hunting around the $20 mark (sadly) is not something I do regularly due to funds shortage. I hope it performs better than the 2007 version - should I get my hopes up?
Last night I had a Redman 2007 Coonawarra Shiraz and was disappointed. Redman wines had come highly recommended, but this one had a bit of a raw edge and needed copious amounts of Cheddar cheese to make it better (maybe a bit young?). Have you had any from the Redman stable?
If you would like to read a review of it I will be posting one later today at:
www.stusview.wordpress.com
Cheers
Thanks Stu,
ReplyDeletePersonally the bottles of Seppelt's 2004 Chalambar I've had were fantastic, but I've since grown to question Seppelt's noted bottle variation with this wine. I had a tasting of an 04 not that long ago and I actually maintained my views on the wine (based on that bottle), in that I think it's something of a long termer which should blossom with extended age (say 10-20 years from vintage). I've read your note and perhaps you picked up a dud bottle? Or maybe even one at an awkward stage of development? Personally, my own 04 Chalambars will be sitting away in the cellar for a while yet.
As for Redman, personally I wouldn't recommend their wines (esp. 07s, it was a difficult year for the region), just because I believe there are better wines from Coonawarra within the same price bracket. It's a bit of a shame really, because they have access to some of the oldest vines in the region. Maybe the kinder 2008 vintage will deliver some better wines for the label?
Cheers,
Chris P