Rare Muscat - Limited

Alcohol: 16.9 %.
Glucose & Fructose: 377 g/L
pH: 3.41
TA: 8.9 g/ L

Muscat is made from the variety muscat à petits grains, which can range in colour from a green (white) grape through to black. The particular colour favoured for muscat production in North East Victoria is reddish-brown and is often referred to as muscat à petits grains rouge.

The grapes are harvested at higher baumés (16º Bé plus preferred). These grapes are then de-stemmed with the resultant must and recovered raisons are placed into tank. A partial fermentation of the juice is undertaken (usually 2º to 3º Bé depending upon initial fruit ripeness). The fermentation will add colour and complexity to the wine, but there can also be an increase in baumé due liberation of sugar from raison rehydration, thus enabling a longer fermentation

Once desired amount of sugar has been fermented, the must is placed into the press for juice extraction. The fermenting juice obtained is fortified with neutral grape spirit (~ 96% alcohol) to 16% alcohol to arrest the fermentation. The neutral spirit is chosen to enable the fruit expression of the variety. The resultant wine is then transferred to stainless steel tanks for settling prior to cross flow filtration. The filtered wine is then adjusted to 18% prior transfer to old, large casks for maturation. The cask volume may vary from 900 litres up to 5000 litres.

Individual vintages and vineyards are kept as separate wines until blending. To be considered for Rare the wine’s quality must be very high to exceptional. A wine of this quality may only be produced once or twice in 10 years. Age alone is not a determinant of quality.

The Rare Muscat is produced using a modified solera, which has been in operation since the late 19th Century and was established by WH Chambers (3rd Generation). It is possible that a very small amount of the original wine maybe still in the solera. The solera consists of 2 stages. One is a series of small barrels (1/4 casks through to puncheons) and the other is an 1800 litre cask from which the bottles are drawn. When moving the wine through the solera assessment of each barrel is undertaken to ensure absence of faults and optimum maturity. Any movement into and within the solera is dependent of having suitable young material to enter.

The wine is bottled on an as needs basis.

This wine demonstrates exotic raisins, black cherry and dried fruit aromas and flavours. The solera for this wine is meticulously maintained and has been for over 60 years, and for a wine to be considered worthy to enter the Rare solera, the single vintage must be of exceptional quality. Serve after dinner with plum and rich chocolate pudding or even by itself. Once opened the wine can be enjoyed over many months.

98 points Halliday rating

The pulse quickens, the muscat colour darkens, the fortified pours a little slower, denser and the flavours intensify. The solera for this fortified has been maintained by Bill Chambers and son Stephen for more than 60 years, exceeding Rare Classification. A wine of immense concentration but also of elegance and freshness, a true indication of a great fortified. And such flavours to discover; of luscious sweet butterscotch, dried fruit, rose oil, roasted almonds, toffeed walnuts, roasted coffee bean delivered fresh and beautifully defined. A world-class tasting experience. 375ml.

Jeni Port

Published 12 August 2021

Robert Parker

Rating: 100

Halliday Wine Companion

2022 Rating: 98
2020 Rating: 99

Decanter World Wine Award (UK)

2021 Rating: 97 Patinum Award

Wine Enthusiast (US)

2021 Rating: 99

Wine & Spirits Magazine (US) Top 100 Wineries—World

2020 Rating: 95

Langton's Top 100 - Classified Excellent