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Looking back De Bortoli is a family winery, founded in 1928. In the early 1980s it was run by the late Deen De Bortoli. His son Darren had been enchanted by the 1975 Château Coutet he’d had drunk while a student at Adelaide’s Roseworthy College; moreover, Deen had already experimented with botrytis wines in the 1970s, though with little success. Their decision to embark on a significant production of a botrytis-affected Semillon did not meet with universal approval within the family, but they were vindicated.
The 1982 Noble One has gone on to win (on the Australian wine show circuit) more than 11 trophies and 46 gold medals. As the wine was re-entered into subsequent wine shows, it garnered 138 trophies and 425 golds. The De Bortolis have since made the wine every year except in washed-out 1989 and 2012. The vintage preceding years in Riverina had been hit by drought, but in 1982 there was abundant rain, and growers were confronted with lots of botrytised fruit.
Although Australia has a long tradition of sweet wine production (mostly fortified), Noble One, first made in 1982 and labelled as ‘Sauternes’ until 1990, was a new departure. Placed as a ringer among a few dozen 1983 Sauternes in a blind tasting in 1987. While puzzled by the wine, its quality was acclaimed. It was noted, ‘worryingly mature for a 1983 Sauternes’, but its plump, unctuous character gave it immediate appeal.
The reaction from this wine, pitted against the like of Ch. d'Yquem in 1987, is always unrestrained.
This bottle has been in my possession for a few years and is currently lying in a wine merchants cellar. The deep hue of golden/ brown (see photo) and the clarity it has preposes the unctuous sweet delight contained there in . The capsule does have some corrosion, but I do not believe this will affect the taste or condition. The level at VTS is superb.
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