Noble One (2006)

"One of the finest New World dessert wines, with complex notes of barley sugar, peach and marmalade. Try a small, cool glass with rich pates or salty blue cheese for starters."

Susy Atkins, Sunday Telegraph (UK), December 2009

"The intense sweetness and sugar in this dessert wine help act as preservatives. It will develop more complex aromas and flavours with a few years of cellaring."

Greg Duncan Powell, Good Taste Magazine, October 2009

"A dry year reflected in a luscious, round palate with creamy fruit salad, peach tea/peach syrup and vanilla; nonetheless, good freshness and persistence to the finish.  10%, residual not given. (100% screw cap)"

Sarah Ahmed, The Wine Detective (UK), September 2009

"Fine, yet intense, with delicate apricot, honey and marmalade flavours that linger."

Peter Forrestal, Sunday Times, July 2009

"This is Australia's benchmark sweet white and rightly so - liquid gold in a glass. There is honey, vanilla and cedar from the French oak used, on the nose. You get apricots peaches, honeyed marmalade on the palate. It's luscious and syrupy, but not cloyingly sweet. It's all seamless, balanced and the flavours go long, long, long with a fine acidity providing a fresh, tangy finish."

Wayne Steele, Gold Coast Panache, July 2009

Highly Recommended
"The nose is very intense showing citrus peel botrytis, fresh peachy fruit, new oak and a slight VA lift. The palate follows, reflecting the nose and just avoids cloying."

Winewise, June 2009

"This is Australia's grande marque sticky. Celebrating 25 years, with some 345 gold medals. Luscious gold with stewed quince and glace fruit aromatics, it's think and viscous and the flavour goes on and on."

Greg Duncan Powell, Grazia Magazine, May 2009

"De Bortoli Noble One botrytis semillon 2006 is the lastest in a line of magnificent stickies dating back to 1982, winner of more than 100 trophies, 345 gold medals and rightly labelled Australia's benchmark sweet white wine."

QHA Review Magazine, April 2009

93 points
"This is a fantastic vintage for Noble One. It's packed with toffee, honey, lemon butter, sweet spices and dried fruit, and yet it's fresh and zesty. The interplay between its fresh acidity, honeyed and sweetness and crème brûlée smoothness gives it a real sense of poise and dignity. Noble, indeed."

Tyson Stelzer, WBM Magazine, February 2009

92 points
"Sweet and silky, this is complex with apricot, dried pear, wet hay and cream flavors that persist into the long, deftly balanced finish. Not at all sugary. Ends with mouthwatering lemon notes."

Harvey Steiman, Wine Spectator (USA), January 2009

"A top-class effort whose lavish, luxuriant expression of concentrated fruit, tightly knit oak and refreshing acidity combine to give it rare shape, structure and vinosity in wines of this style. A luscious, syrupy and soft-cushioned expression of lemon, stonefruit, honey and marmalade moves seamlessly down the palate, finishing with a gentle, but pronounced punctuation and focus."

Jeremy Oliver, The Australian Wine Annual, December 2008

94 points
“Very intense botrytis characters, with marmalade, peaches and cream and just a little hint of spice; very long and very sweet.”

James Halliday’s Wine Companion, December 2008

"Since 1982, this has been regarded as Australia's best dessert wine and the inspiration behind the Riverina's push to feature botrytis semillon as the finest achievement of the region. This is dense, powerful, opulent and complex: some cedary notes are still there on the nose while the palate highlights concentrated apricot, lemon rind and marmalade flavours, satiny smoothly viscosity before zesty acidity provides a pristine,dry finish of considerable finesse."

Peter Forrestal, December 2008

"This wine is as good as ever, Its bitter orange, ripe cumquat and dried apricot characters will provide you with a true feast for the senses."

Toni Paterson, Australian House And Garden, October 2008

"Sauternes-style, from one of my favourite Australian producers. Squirrel it away and reap the rewards for years to come."

Hamish Martin, Sunday Herald Magazine (UK), October 2008

"A more delicate style of Noble One, the 2006 vintage has plenty of noble barley sugar and tropical fruit flavour with moderate sweetness. Best of all it finishes fresh and long."

Angus Hughson, Courier Mail, October 2008

"One of Australia's great sweet wines, this is soft and luscious, with honeyed notes and refreshing acidity."

Tim Atkin, Guardian (UK), September 2008

"This Australian benchmark has aromas of apricot nectar, marmalade and kumquat that lead onto a luscious, balanced palate."

Sally Gudgeon, Sun Herald, August 2008

"This is Australia's best 'stickie' and a benchmark for the style. Brilliantly complex and luscious with aromas of peach, cumquat, nectarine with an overlay of thick honey. The multi-layered palate is rich and luscious. The sweet, opulent fruit is balanced with a lovely fine acidity."

Ray Jordan, West Australian, August 2008

" The grandaddy of Australian botrytised sweet wines remains superb. This latest release shows the usual marmalade, honey, apricot and peach fruit, dressed in subtle French oak, but it's a tad more elegant than usual. Sweet, luscious flavour and fine but lush texture make for a luxurious experience, finishing deliciously long and tangy."

Ralph Kyte-Powell, The Age, July 2008

"De Bortoli have have inspired a legion of imitators but this remains the standout stickie in Australia; a stylish botrytis semillon with intense aromas and a rich, luscious palate oozing with stone fruit and citrus flavours. Great with blue cheese."

Winsor Dobbin, www.winsordobbin.com.au, July 2008

"Approaching its 25th vintage, De Bortoli's Noble One was the first and is still one of the very best examples of Australian botrytis semillon. It's intensely flavoured with candied fruit and vanilla in abundance."

Australian Gourmet Traveller, July 2008

"Wow, De Bortoli's faithful Noble One might be nudging 25 vintages but this 2006 release is as modern and attractive as you're ever going to find in this country when it comes to rich, botrytis-affected stickies. It really is a very stylish, finely-tuned drop with excellent acidity giving the wine  the balance of a tight-rope walker. It took gold at London's recent International Wine Challenge, and must surely have earned every point."

Mark Smith, Sunday Examiner, June 2008

"A gem from the Riverina whose delicious, concentrated flavours ensure that its standing as Australia's finest dessert wine remains unchallenged."

John Fordham, Food & Wine, Sunday Telegraph, June 2008

97 points
"The Riverina's pioneering botrytis combines finesse and elegance with luscious sweetness. There's a lick of top-drawer oak and the sweet, lush flavour has a long tangy finish. Delicious."

Ralph Kyte-Powell, Sydney Morning Herald, May 2008

Highly Recommended
"A quite restrained Noble One, offering citrus and pineapple together with a well judged touch of oak. The palate is richly sweet, but doesn't cloy."

Winewise, February 2008