Winemaker Notes
Vibrant purple color, with a lifted nose showing red fruits and some spice. The palate has wonderful concentration and depth yet still lively and fresh. The tannins are expansive yet remain soft and the acidity adds to the wines complexity. A wonderful example of the modern, medium bodied Hunter Valley Shiraz.
Professional Ratings
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Australian Wine Companion
From dry-grown estate blocks averaging 40yo; fermented in larger 2700L used casks. It is a spectacular value and more obvious in all aspects: depth, colour richness (plum to the fore) tannins (for balance and longevity).
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Wine Enthusiast
This Shiraz was open-top fermented and matured in older, large-format French oak casks, resulting in a wine focused on fruit purity. With some air, the plump blueberries and currants are underpinned by flowers, spice, hoisin and warm stone nuances. The palate is unexpectedly powerful, with chiseled, slightly drying tannins, although it still resides in medium-bodied territory. It shows off the distinctive style of the region as well as the winery
Marked by an unmistakable deep purple hue and savory aromatics, Syrah makes an intense, powerful and often age-worthy red. Native to the Northern Rhône, Syrah achieves its maximum potential in the steep village of Hermitage and plays an important component in the Red Rhône Blends of the south, adding color and structure to Grenache and Mourvèdre. Syrah is the most widely planted grape of Australia and is important in California and Washington. Sommelier Secret—Such a synergy these three create together, the Grenache, Syrah, Mourvedre trio often takes on the shorthand term, “GSM.”
Most admired for citrus-driven, mineral-rich and often age-worthy Semillon wines, Hunter Valley is one of Australia’s oldest wine regions and was home to its very first commercial vineyards. The region’s warm summer nights coupled with autumn cloud cover and cool sea breezes allow full ripening and healthy acidity levels for Semillon; its diverse soils of volcanic basalt and white alluvial sands promote the development of Semillon’s delicate aromas. Hunter Valley Semillons can certainly be enjoyed in their youth but with 10 to 20 years in the cellar, the best examples develop intriguing notes of honey, browned butter and roasted nuts.
Chardonnay and Shiraz also do well in Hunter Valley.