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Hunter Whistlestop 2019 #1
Hunter Valley
Tasted March 2, 2019 by chatters with 232 views
Introduction
A quick zip around the Hunter Valley to look at some of the wines prior to attending Bassy's stag do…
Flight 1 - Bracket one Allandale (17 notes)
Arguably a standard commercial winery…lots of grapes brought in from other locations so that they can offer a rather large range of varietals for the punters. Other than the Hilltops and Grandfathers reserve shiraz I can't say I was that enamoured…
White
2018 Allandale Sémillon
Apple, fresh grass, a little honey surprisingly. Sharply juicy, a little bitter, green apple and a little chalky tannic burr. Medium length.
White
2012 Allandale Sémillon
Honey, toast, butter, slight herbaceous. Again, sharply acidic with a buttery warmth, a little green apple and some honey. Despite the acid this feels softer than the 2018
White
2010 Allandale Sémillon Winemakers Reserve
Toast, honey, green apple over lime, butter and some mineral notes. Fresh cut grass. Juicy, apple and lime, butter, chamois soft grip Okay, tannic burr on the palate.
White
2018 Allandale Chardonnay
Peach over lemon and lime, slight butter. Juicy, the fruit is more citric and finishes with little butter and front of mouth grip Hmm.
White
2018 Allandale Pinot Gris
A little pear, sweet spice backed by cheesy notes and a little wood glue. Soft and juicy, easy, slightly candied pear drop notes to the palate, perhaps a little residual sugar?
White
2017 Allandale Sauvignon Blanc Single Vineyard
passion fruit juicy, almost a little spritz lending a touch of granular texture to the palate which proves to be just as passion fruit juice as the nose. Nice in a fruit forward way.
Rosé
2018 Allandale Rosé
Slightly bitter cherry and red berry, a little savoury and metallic Candy, fruit drops. Dry with a little alcoholic warmth here on the finish. Meh.
Red
2015 Allandale Pinot Noir
Toasted oak dominates, muted cherry fruit with a spicy backbone. On the palate the oak lends a bitter coffee note that the fruit into oblivion. Nah.
Red
2017 Allandale Tail Wags Dog
Savoury, cream, muted black fruits. Juicy, slightly jubey, black fruits in the cherry spice with a touch of vanilla. Okay.
Red
2017 Allandale Tempranillo Single Vineyard Hilltops
Vanilla, red berry, strawberry, a little wet. Proves sourly juicy, on the palate with strawberry fruit, tannins are muted and slight drying and it finishes quite vanilla with some alcohol warmth. Feels out of whack…perhaps harvested a little too early?
Red
2017 Allandale Shiraz Matthew
Oak, baked plums, black pepper, spice, a little cream and vanilla. Juicy mouth watering acidity, palate much of a muchness to the nose. Medium length. Hmm.
Red
2015 Allandale Shiraz
Closed initially then shows black cherry, plenty of alcohol spice, a little dusty. Viscose, thick textured, alcoholically hot. Too much for me. Years of cellaring might help.
Red
2016 Allandale Shiraz
Dusty earth, muted blackberry and cherry. Peppery with slightly sweet blackberry fruit, tight, slightly chalky tannins. Long. Finishes a bit warm for me but otherwise nice.
Red
2015 Allandale Shiraz Grandfather's Freeman Vineyard
Pretty blackberry fights with the oak. Jubey notes as well as some spice. On the palate it's juicy, fleshy warm fruit. Talc textured tannic, beautifully balanced. Very good.
Red
2016 Allandale Cabernet Sauvignon
Eucalyptus, pyrazine, pencil shavings over a little Ribena, cream with a touch of alcohol spice. The alcohol and drying, tight tannins on the palate fruit gets lots beneath this some chocolate notes as well. <shrugs>
White
N.V. Allandale Tail Wags Dog
Green fruits, herbs but rounder and softer than the Sauvignon Blanc. A little almond meal, cream, butter, bees wax underpin. Woof, it's quite alcoholic on the palate bit buttered toast notes, lacks fruit on the palate though.
Flight 2 - Bracket two Mount Pleasant (21 notes)
An old favourite. Plenty to enjoy here…
White
2018 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Eight Acres
Grass, a little green apple and lime, a little jubey note. In the mouth it's sharply acidic, green, a little butt on the palate. Very young and a little muted.
White
2016 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Elizabeth
Apple, hay, fresh cut grass. Juicy, a little green apple, the acid fruit balance is splendid. Yes, it's arguably very simple but the two travel hand in hand along a very happy path. Lovely.
White
2010 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Elizabeth
Toast, honey, apple, a little muted butter. Juicy, mouth watering acidity, flavours are similar to the nose but with the butter more to the fore. Nice.
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White
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon 1946 Vines Lovedale Vineyard
Closed. Very slightly jubey apple and dusty, grassy spice. On the palate it offers a little more but is still quite muted with a little apple and also apple skin grip. Very expensive at $75.
White
2013 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale
toast, honey, apple and lime, quite a forward nose based on the age (though not the vintage). Juicy, tangy, some palate grip accompanies quite grassy, green fruit backed by honey and toast. Hmm.
White
2007 Mount Pleasant Wines Sémillon Single Vineyard Lovedale
Lemon and lime cordial, toast, juicy, green apples over citrus, toast, honey, butter, alcohol warmth is non-intrusive, all travel long in a harmonious fashion. Very good with plenty of longevity.
Red
2016 Mount Pleasant Wines Pinot Noir Mothervine
Candied cherry, slight caramel oak and toast. Slightly baked earthy. Savoury, slightly bitter with a little tannic burr that proves quite drying. Fruit a little lacking on the palate.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz High Paddock
Slightly baked, slightly toasted black plum backed by earth, spice and, oddly, a little baked tomato leaf. On the plate it's savoury, grainy tannins. Fruit a little muted on the palate. Hmm.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Old Paddock & Old Hill
Cream, vanilla, muted black plums and sweet spice, slight clay. Juicy, broad, plums, spice more savoury and peppery, tannins are slightly chalky and drying, structured, good, young. Not for me though.
Red
2014 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Rosehill
oxidised over pretty black plum and peppery spice, backed by oak. In the mouth it's joined by huge tannic grip. The oxidation has, unfortunately, stripped the fruit. Bottle opened for 3 days so I'll not mark this as flaw...Just opened too long.
Red
2016 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'C'
Caramel, crushed red berry - thing raspberry and strawberry fruit, a little mocha. Tightly tannic, far more savoury than the nose implies and the fruit far more muted. Meh
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Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'A'
Blackberry backed by a little red cherry and strawberry, rose petal. on the palate it's juicy, fleshy, black hued fruit, grippy, chalky tannins. Long, good.
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Red
2016 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'B'
Plums, baked earth, caramel, sweet spice…smells dense. Juicy acidity and plenty of tannins but, like the Mountain C, the fruit is quite muted on the palate. Meh.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Mountain 'D'
Closed. Smells more dense than the Mountain B. Muted, juicy, plums, black berry, a little earth, with time the oak becomes more noticeable but by no means intrusive. On the palate it's done, savoury, plummy but still closed. Tannins are chamois soft but this isn't for me.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1946 Vines Rosehill
Black pepper, clay, slightly sour black plums, earth. Slight candy floss, baked caramel. Juicy, savoury, tightly tannic, still young fruit. Hmm.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1965 Vines Rosehill
A little green peppercorn, red plums, sweet spice; muted blackberry and spiced plum. Juicy, tightly tannic which dries things out on the palate completely. Fruit muted again.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1921 Vines Old Paddock
Cream, cherry, muted fruit and green & black peppercorn. On the palate it's juicy, savoury, plenty of pepper, again the fruit is muted. Hmm, I suspect my palate is going; very cold in here which isn't helping.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1880 Vines Old Hill Vineyard
Meaty, gamey, beef gravy. Savoury peppery, dense, black plums, a little herbal perfumed top note. On the palate it's juicy, peppery, savoury, meaty, plummy fruit, tannins are tight, drying but don't dominate. Sheesh this is pretty good.
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Red
2014 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz Maurice O'Shea
Dense blackberry, cedar, caramel oak, plum, a little peppery spice on the nose. In the mouth it does, indeed, prove dense, chewy and savoury, black hued fruits, a little baked fig oddly enough, caramel oak, long, tannins are tight. Very much one of the long term.
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Red
2013 Mount Pleasant Wines Shiraz 1880 Vines Old Hill Vineyard
Polished peppery spice, gamey, earthy, backed by caramel. In the mouth it's juicy, more red plum fruit, tight tannins still very present and they dry things out. Medium plus length. Hmm.
Red
2017 Mount Pleasant Wines CF17 B-Side
Red and blackberry backed by a little peppery spice and a little soy sauce. On the palate it's savoury, peppery, backed by a little blackberry fruit, gritty tannins. Really rather good. A little non-intrusive alcohol warmth on the finish. Nice.
Closing
Big rushed visit. Lots of fun. Roll on april when I can get up there again.