26 April 2022

All Saints Estate, located in Australia's fortified capital of Rutherglen, has achieved two perfect 100 point scores for its treasured Museum Fortified wines – the NV Muscat and Muscadelle, by Jeni Port in Halliday Wine Companion (winecompanion.com.au). One-hundred-point scores are extremely rare, and All Saints Estate now joins Seppeltsfield, previously the only Australian winery to achieve a perfect score of 100 points in Wine Companion. 

All Saints Estate Museum Muscat and Muscadelle are both nurtured by Winemaker Nick Brown and carefully blended from rich and rare wine stocks over 100 years old. Both wines are limited to 100 bottles annually, filled to order, and available via a private allocation.

The Reviews 

Tasted by Jeni Port on 23 February and published on winecompanion.com.au on 12 April 2022 

All Saints Estate Museum Muscadelle NV, Rutherglen 

"A once-in-a-lifetime treat, this fortified has an average age of 100+ years. Few makers can release a museum fortified, All Saints Estate does it with ease, such is its library (solera) of old vintages laid down year after year. This is vinous history and it shows, in its deep, olive green hues and level of absolute intensity and concentration. But it also comes with a fineness and a freshness. Flavours are remarkably precise and not at all overly sweet, full of rancio with nuts, dried fruits, toffee, orange peel and so much more than saturates the palate. Remarkable. Miniatures also available for $160." 

RRP $1200 

All Saints Estate Museum Rutherglen Muscat Non Vintage 

"It's hard to divide your emotions from your analytical need to describe and separate the perfume (heaven) from the taste (super-concentrated) and the lasting impression that just goes and goes. The senses go into overdrive. The intense flavours of treacle, honey, fig, balsamic and roasted nuts are lifted by rose oil and aromatics. Above all, it's the gentle and oh, so careful blending of younger material and spirit that really reveals the quality of winemaking and the wine. Quite an amazing, once-in-a-lifetime experience. Miniatures also available at $160." 

RRP $1200 

Vinification Background 

The grapes are left to ripen to 20º baumé, then handpicked, de-stemmed, crushed and tipped into the press. The must is pressed out, and the juice is immediately fortified to 16% alcohol. This fortification kills the yeast and stops fermentation. The combination of high sugar and high alcohol makes the wines stable and endure and improve with long term storage. The wine is aged 50 to 100-year-old 144 - 5500 litre oak barrels. 

Evaporation loss, which varies from 2% to 7% depending on the size of the barrel, is known as 'The Angels' Share'. Over the years, the wine concentrates and becomes more complex yet stays amazingly fresh and balanced. These Museum wines have been run as a modified solera for over a century. Together with the architecture of the great halls where the wines mature, the region has a profound impact. Many years of baking summers and freezing winters have a significant effect on the maturation of the wines. 

About All Saints Estate 

All Saints Estate has been producing and maturing handcrafted wines since 1864 in the grand halls of the heritage-listed castle. Owned and managed by Eliza, Angela and Nick Brown, the winery is the custodian of extraordinary Australian wine antiquities known worldwide.