Hunter Whistlestop - the road less travelled #5

Here we go again…this time I selected based on those Hunter wineries that have been owned/tasted by the cellartracker community but that I was not familiar with…

These were another selection of, for the most part, clean, well made wines. The Semillon is a nice wine to tuck away and forget about for ten years.

• 2016 Adina Vineyard Sémillon La Belle Helene

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Lime, fresh grass, green apple…on the palate the green apple is in the ascendancy, bone dry. Nice

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• 2016 Adina Vineyard Chardonnay Clare Terese

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Medium minus intensity aromas of butter, toast, fruit a little muted in fact near non-existent on the nose. Tannic bur on the mid palate, fruit muted here as well, oak quite prevalent. Apparently this had been open a couple of days but I was surprised by it's relative flatness

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• 2016 Adina Vineyard Pinot Grigio

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Rich melon, clean but a little wood glue, sweet spiced and little off dry to help the fruit which tends to ripe pear.

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• 2014 Adina Vineyard Sangiovese

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Slightly dusty, sweet cherry, a little cream, smidge of chocolate, juicy, acidity fruit sweet but bone dry, slightly tannic burr, simple. Nice.

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• 2015 Adina Vineyard Tempranillo

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  ripe cherry backed by confected strawberry, vanilla, cream, sweet spice. Tartaric addition to help the acidity. Otherwise juicy cherry and berry, softy silky tannins, plenty of breadth. Well made. Clean.

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• 2014 Adina Vineyard Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  slightly ripe and jubey plums, a reductive savoury note, earthy a little cream and a sickly perfumed note. Big, plummy fruit on the palate, tight tannins, medium length. Meh.

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• 2014 Adina Vineyard Cabernet Shiraz

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Just opened and, hence, slightly reductive, plums, red berries, a slight herbaceous note but also some cream and spice. Juicy to the point of sourness, tightly tannic, gritty and the fruit just persists. Meh for me.

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• 2014 Adina Vineyard Shiraz Thomas Charles Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Ripe plum, vanilla, sweet spice, smidge of coconut. Initially, peppery than the plums join in, plenty of tannins but softer than the shiraz or cab shiraz, a little vanilla on the long finish. Well made but not for me.

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• 2016 Adina Vineyard The Cabernets

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Red currant and a little strawberry, toast, a little herbs/eucalyptus…Oddly on the palate it's a little porty and raisined. Nah.

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Interesting wines. I really enjoyed the nose on both of the Cabernets and that Silvi Shiraz was lovely and savoury and very much in the vein of Lindemans Hunter Burgundy

• 2017 Peacock Hill Chardonnay Top Block

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  extremely muted, peach with a little white flower, slight sweet spice. More buttery on the palate, talcy mid palate burr, medium plus length. Meh

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• 2015 Peacock Hill Cabernet Sauvignon A Great Life

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Very cabernet nose but slightly more red currant than black. Slight mint, plenty of spice, slightly sour on the palate but juicy, again strays more red than black fruit and with slight talc textured tannins. Medium plus length. Hmm. Not my style.

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• 2017 Peacock Hill Opa!

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Very pretty fruit with a slightly high toned note. Very slightly dusty but sweet spice. It's a little juicy and sour on the palate with creamy notes and otherwise, plush fruit married to slightly gritty tannic burr..

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• 2014 Peacock Hill Shiraz Silvi

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Earthy and savoury rather than fruity, peppery and spicy…juicy, savoury plums, earthy, leathery, grippy tannins, balanced. Very good.

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• 2014 Peacock Hill Godfather Cabernets

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Again a very cabernet nose showing blackcurrant, a little herbaceous note and pencil shavings, juicy, big, savoury black currant with plenty of tannic grip. Hmm. It's a bit expensive for what it is.

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Lots of hits and misses here. That 2010 Semillon was nice, as was the Riesling, the Nebbiolo was impressive and the 2010 Reserve Shiraz, again, put me in mind of those savoury Hunter Shiraz that I've had in the past.

• 2014 Pokolbin Estate Sémillon Phil Swannell

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  an impression of green…grass, lime, apple, pith and skin. Juicy, acidic but not sharply so, green on the palate too.

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• 2010 Pokolbin Estate Sémillon Phil Swannell

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  As per the 2014 but there is a slightly smoky honey, a little toast. Juicy, honey, toast. More acidic than the 2014 but none the worst for that. Nice

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• 2017 Pokolbin Estate Riesling

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Peach, a little dusty ripe apple, a slight sweet note. Juicy, fruity, very slight muted but this is very good

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• 2017 Pokolbin Estate Nebbiolo Rosé Belebula

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  A little muted sweet cherry and berry tied to a little savoury spice. Quite candied on the palate but definitely some firmness to the mid palate burr. Also, perhaps, a little residual sugar. Not for me.

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• 2016 Pokolbin Estate Sangiovese Belebula

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  A little cherry and sweet spice with a little tobacco leaf. On the palate it's all bright cherry, a little tobacco leaf, firm tannins, a little cream shows typicity. Meh.

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• 2014 Pokolbin Estate Tempranillo Belebula

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Slightly reductive berry and cherry, cream, chocolate almost. Sweet berry fruit but juicy with drying, slightly gritty, tannins. There is a certain bitter astringency to the finish that is a little off putting. Nah.

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• 2016 Pokolbin Estate Shiraz North South

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley, Pokolbin

  Polished but with slight acetone/high toned black plums and more of the same on the palate. Broad and almost thick, tannins are tight and close the palate down. Meh.

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• 2009 Pokolbin Estate Nebbiolo Belebula

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Slightly oxidative, pot pourri, slight dried flowers and muted fruit. On the palate it's all acid and tannins…massive, long, grippy tannins. Like an old school Barolo - I'm sure if I had the real thing next to this it would feel less impressive but by itself it's rather good.

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• 2011 Pokolbin Estate Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Quite blackcurrant, ripe, backed by cream, toast and vanilla. More of the same on the palate, concentrated but with dense tight tannic grip. Fruit persists, a little overblown for me.

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• 2010 Pokolbin Estate Shiraz Reserve

  Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley

  Savoury, leathery, peppery, slightly meaty, slight black coffee. Tightly tannic, a bit of alcohol warmth but wonderfully fleshy, savoury, long finish with that alcohol warmth but lovely.

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Phew, a good outing with all producers having at least one wine that was worth reaching my short arms into my deep pockets for. Overall Pokolbin Estate was the winner though I enjoyed the philosophy of Peacock Hill...