Print this Wine         1998 Elderton Golden Semillon   RIVERINA                 January Release   Dessert Wine       Over the past few vintages this wine has consistently shown attractive luscious fruit combined with a discernible but not overwhelming dose of Botrytis. And so it is with the 1998 release. The color is a warm and inviting rich golden hue, very much confirming its name. The appearance immediately conveys the impression of a rich, sweet and inviting wine. This impression is realized on the bouquet with orange peel marmalade being the obvious flavor, supported by toffee and caramel. There is also some vanilla, no doubt from judicious implementation of oak. This wine is quite sweet, yet it is not overwhelming with cloying richness. As soon as you taste the wine you realize that the fruit is far more to the fore than it appeared on the bouquet. Here there are nuances of pears, peaches and figs. They are all ripe and sweet flavors. The toffee and caramel like characters really only cut in at the back of the palate. Linking these two types of flavors is a creamy, syrup like texture. Critical for any dessert wine is the aftertaste. No matter how rich and intense the base material can be all will be wasted if the wine lacks precise acidity at the back of the palate. The traditional European dessert wines have always had plenty of acid. German Rieslings and Sauternes always finish with crisp tingling acid. Australian wines have lacked acidity. This has made them easy to drink, particularly as young wines, but has hampered their aging potential. In warmer years or those with high Botrytis penetration the wines have been overblown. This wine is neither overblown or particularly European in style. There is sufficient acid at the finish to give reason to believe that the wine will develop, but this really will be a short term proposition, say up to 3 years. Any longer and the wine will lose the great charm of its fruit intensity. Select desserts with toffee as a flavoring component and this will be echoed in the wine. Fruits that are stewed and served with syrups spiced with nutmeg or cinnamon will make for an excellent match.         How do I download Hi-Res Labels?

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