Winery notes (NV)
"Luscious and intense, this gloriously indulgent dessert wine is made from Muscat grapes that are picked late for sweetness and aged in barrels for up to 10 years.
Yalumba first began making wines at the Angaston winery more than 167 years ago, and the production of fortified wines has long been part of that history. Today, Yalumba maintains its reputation for premium quality fortified wines by occasionally releasing very small parcels of show reserve stocks.
Made predominantly from the brown, red and black sports of the Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grape. Briefly fermented on skins to soften and release the flavours from the shrivelled and partially raisined berries. After draining and pressing, the fermentation is arrested by fortification with neutral grape spirit to retain the varietal flavours and liqueur sweetness in the wine.
The vintage wines are then put into small oak barrels to mature, producing complex wines with raisin and fruitcake flavours. After many years of maturation, a selection of older and younger wines are judiciously blended to produce a complex and balanced wine displaying fruit and aged characters. The base blend, from which the Antique Muscat is bottled, is regularly re-blended to perpetuate the consistency and complexity of this classic style from year to year.
This luscious dessert wine is deep amber to tawny in colour with olive green hues. The wine exhibits classic perfumed aromas of the Muscat grape – lifted florals of rose petal, ginger spice and orange peel, with butterscotch and fruitcake. The palate is soft, silken and luscious in texture, quite viscous and concentrated, then richly flavoured showing a melange of raisined fruit, wood aged characters, fruitcake and spices, finishing with delicate and integrated spirit. This is an indulgent and seamless wine. Serve with blue cheese, crème brûlée or pecan pie and a dollop of triple cream."