All Saints Estate Grand Rutherglen Muscadelle 375ml NV
A mouth-filling, luscious tokay with moderate oak and rancio characters dominated by syrupy, malty, sweet tea and honey aromas, ahead of a big raisiny, lush and sweet palate. It lingers rich and long on the palate, all concentration and strength. Try it with vanilla-bean ice cream for a decadent grown-up sundae-type experience.
James Halliday says: 95 Amber-gold with olive tinges on the rim starting to appear; very complex, with a strong rancio cut to the toffee and malt flavours; very good length and a lovely, drying finish.
Huon Hooke & Ralph Kyte-Powell says: 4 1/2 stars The colour is a darker shade of amber, reflecting its age. It has a lovely old malty, tea-leafy, tokay nose that's both complex and varietal. It's concentrated in the mouth: thick and syrupy with honey, toffee flavours of great depth and persistence. Yum!
Originally thought to come from the Hungarian Tokai variety (hence the name), it is now accepted that Tokay is made from the Muscadelle grape, a white variety. The long, warm Autumn days at Wahgunyah are virtually perfect for allowing the fruit to ripen to the high Baume levels and raisining so essential for the style. Rutherglen Tokays are classified into four tiers that mark a progression in richness, complexity and intensity of flavour, due to the age of wines used. On average they are: Rutherglen Tokay 2-5 yrs Classic Rutherglen Tokay 6-10 yrs Grand Rutherglen Tokay 11-19 yrs Rare Rutherglen Tokay 20 yrs plus Muscadelle has been grown at All Saints Estate since the winery was established in 1864. The current vines were planted during 1962 and 1963. The fruit is handpicked when the sugar exceeds 24BA and crushed to release the sweet, concentrated juice. Pre fermentation cold soaking swells the shrivelled berries and extracts flavour from the skins. A minimum of fermentation occurs prior to fortification to 18%. The wine is a blend of selected vintages, stored in large oak ovals in the "chook shed" and racked to bottle as required. A limited blend exhibiting golden amber colours and typical cold leaf tea characters. The palate is luscious with malty toffee and vanilla flavours. A wine with great balance and length to sip and savour. Sip with blue cheeses such as Stilton, or enjoy with cheese or cream based desserts such as tiramisu. It can also be enjoyed on or beside vanilla ice cream, or try it with a fig pudding covered with butterscotch sauce. Chocolate is another good match.