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The Real Review
97/100 Aaron Brasher
Fabulous colour—tawny, with real age and viscosity. Heady aromas of raisin, marzipan, toffee, coffee, dried figs and sweet spice. Luscious, mouth-filling, layered and deliciously complex. There's spot-on balance between the concentrated and decadent fruit, the perky acidity and the nutty, rancio woodsiness 25 Jan 2026
The Real Review
98/100 Huon Hooke
Very deep, concentrated, viscous tawny-amber colour with green-yellow in the meniscus. The wine is awesomely concentrated and yet still lively and bright, not stale or tired. There's tremendous malty, toffee-like, panforte and espresso coffee notes. Dried figs galore as well as raisins and all manner of dried fruits. The finish rolls on and on and on. A tremendously distinguished, venerable wine. 17 May 2018
Halliday Wine Companion
Chambers family take a bow. This rarity has been generations in the making, based on a modified solera that just keeps on giving, year after year. Dark, dense with an aroma that thrills in treacle drenched fruitcake, butterscotch, raisin, rose oil, toffeed walnuts and roasted nuts. Deeply concentrated, warmly inviting, flowing sweetly and long and oh-so complex, and yet so fresh. 375ml. Jeni Port Halliday Wine Companion 2026
"The dark mahogany and olive rim to the hue turns out to be a sure sign of a wine that is as magnificently complex as it ever was. It's absolutely certain the wine is being sold in tiny quantities to protect the quality of the solera. Its viscosity as it slowly pours from the neck of the bottle is yet another sign. The explosive impact of the first taste is otherworldly as dark spices, tea, butterscotch and vibrant, mouth watering acidity carries all the aromas and flavours that have gone before to a long, lingering finish and aftertaste." James Halliday
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Alcohol: 17.2 %
Glucose & Fructose: 328.4 g/L
pH: 3.65
Titratable Acidity: 7.2g/L -
Produced from the minor white Bordeaux variety of the same name, these grapes are harvested late in the season to achieve maximum ripeness. Any sugar levels exceeding 16 baumé is desired. Typically harvest occurs mid-April to early May.
Once the fruit is crushed and de-stemmed the ‘must’ is placed directly into the press. Any fermentation occurs on the juice at this stage. After a minimal fermentation (sometimes less than 1 baumé) the fermenting juice is fortified with neutral SVR spirit to between 18 and 19% alcohol. The neutral spirit is used to maximise the primary fruit characters of the variety. The individual vineyards and vintages are matured in cask until blending. Cask volumes vary from 900 litres up to 5000 litres.
For an individual wine to be considered for Rare its quality must be very high to exceptional. For this reason 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 Muscadelle 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 to say that a very small amount of the original wine maybe still in the solera.
The solera consists of 2 stages. The first stage consists of several smaller barrels ranging from a 1/4 cask (150L) size through to puncheon (600L) size. Stage 2 is a 2200 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 and desired maturity within the solera.
This wine demonstrates exotic coffee, malt, vanilla bean and mocha aromas and flavours which linger on the palate long after tasting. Serve after dinner with a platter of soft cheeses, nuts and caramel-based puddings. Once opened the wine can be enjoyed over many months.
