Saltram No.1 Shiraz 1999

May, 2003

Saltram winemaker Nigel Dolan has kept a dark secret for the past four years.

As accolades, trophies and critical acclaim were heaped on his 1998 No.1 Barossa Shiraz, Nigel has held firm in his belief that the 1999 vintage might be a little better than its more famous older sibling.

“The 1999 vintage is a bigger, richer wine than the 1998 but it didn’t have the incredible approachability and softness the 1998 vintage had from day one,” Dolan said. “So it was a firmer wine in its youth but I think if you looked at the wines now there wouldn’t be much between them and in a few years I think the ‘99 might come out on top.”

It seems Dolan is not alone in his opinion of the calibre of the 1999 No.1, with the wine collecting eight gold medals at international and local wine shows before its release in May 2003. The 1999 No. 1 is the seventh vintage of this wine, named after the first wine ever produced at the winery in 1862 and simply marked Number One Shiraz.

Since the 1993 vintage, the Saltram No. 1 has performed extraordinarily well at major Australian and International wine shows, winning 36 gold medals and six trophies. Nigel Dolan has made all seven vintages of the wine and his tasting notes for the 1999 vintage follow:

“A deep, dark red/black colour with vibrant crimson hues introduces this wine. Intense aromas of blackberry, spice, licorice and chocolate, supported by coffee bean/cedar oak fill the nose. On the rich, full-bodied palate there is ripe, spicy varietal fruit and coffee bean French oak complexed by wonderful savoury flavours. The palate has power and weight, showing a firm texture and finely grained tannins in a very long, drying finish.”

Nigel suggests the wine will be best drunk from 2004-2014.

Fruit for the No. 1 Shiraz is selected from mature, low-yielding vineyards in the Barossa (85%) and Eden (15%) Valleys. 1999 was a warm vintage in the Barossa which fully ripened shiraz, producing wines of concentrated colour flavour and tannin.

The wine was made in a fairly traditional manner in eight tonne open fermenters, under ‘heading-down’ boards, pressed, then transferred into new and seasoned French (60%) and American (40%) oak and Hogsheads where it was matured for 24 months.

Dolan has slowly increased the percentage of French oak in this wine over the past several vintages, to a point now where the French component now dominates the American oak.

“Maturing the wine predominantly in French oak is something we have been moving towards since the 1996 vintage and future vintages will see the French oak percentage increase to more like 75%,” Dolan said.

The wine will be released to restaurants and retail outlets in May 2003.

For more information please contact Saltram.

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