February 26, 2024 - I have had this wine 3 times in 6 weeks, this bottle the finest, retains its freshness and Lovedale typicity. Lanolin, faint toast, beeswax, cooked limes and a wonderful mouthfeel and long finish. Recently released from the vineyard I suspect, as while the bottles vary they are remarkably consistent for 28 years under cork seal. No cork wood evident in best bottles and none have been oxidised 18.75.
September 22, 2023 - Semillon Lunch (Grappa Leichhardt): A rich gold colour but still pale at the edge. Developed toasty aromas over the lemon curd fruit. Mature palate, long, complex, lemony with lanolin and nutty/almond notes kept fresh by the lively acidity. A crowd pleaser RW1 18.5
June 29, 2022 - One of the best aged Hunter Semillons I've ever tasted. Cork came out cleanly (thanks to the Durand corkscrew). Deep lemon yellow colour - thank goodness no brown. Faint toast on the nose. Palate of honey on light toast. Still some acid underlying it all. A beautifully aged Hunter Semillon from a very good year. Supernacular! Two left in my cellar as of June 2022.
July 23, 2019 - I once asked Phil Ryan about ten years ago, if there was ever a fire in the Mount Pleasant winery, which wine would be the first he would grab before getting out. This was the wine he nominated. He told me that about 50% of bottles were tipped due to poor corks. I got hold of eight bottles that had been checked. I drank my last bottle two years ago. It was a classic older style Hunter semillon with lovely rich honey notes living on top of the straw and lemon. I hope the 2009 Lovedale lives up to my memory of this wine. By the way, the 2015 Lovedale was declassified and can be obtained for about $25 if you ask nicely. I have yet to try it, but was assured that It was not too shabby.
October 13, 2018 - 55th TWIGS Tasting (Villa Chang): Cork (only 1/3 soaked). 10.5% alc.
Mid golden. Smells of lemon, straw, pineapple, toast and a touch of kerosene. Palate still had some lift from the acid line. It's quite settled and resolved though. With food, the wine seemed even fresher.
June 19, 2016 - Man, this was a great bottle...
Cork was half soaked, colour was fantastic, almost lemon yellow. On the nose a very young Sem... still had the lemons, a bit of toast...
Still had some nice acid to it, and still alot of primary fruit but with secondary buttery, toasty, vegemitey characteristics of aged hunter sem.
Even better, this paired extremely well with our food from the Chinese restaurant: Ginger & shallot mud crab, Grandma tofu, special fried rice...
I'm sad this was my last bottle as this one could've seen another 5 years easy....
October 24, 2012 - Otto - Pasta Charity Dinner: Served blind. Lanolin and lime with honey and a touch of smoke. Palate has weighty honeyed fruit but also has the acidity to finish cleanly. Drinking at its peak. This is the second great bottle I've had in the past couple of years, with a less impressive bottle in between.
March 31, 2012 - Semillon and Extras (Sydney, Australia): Waxy, lemon and pear with a sweaty element. The palate is rich but there isn't enough acidity and it feels a little bit flabby as a result. A bottle tasted a year earlier was much better.
March 26, 2011 - Very toasty with some smoke, lemon, honey and lanolin. Nice roundness to the palate, finishes clean and long. This bottle was at its peak.
December 31, 2010 - nicely toasty yet with delicious lemon twist and curd.
[at JNs]