2018 'The Doctor' Shiraz

The Family Collection Range

2023  The Wife Shiraz 

Varieties:   Shiraz 90 %,  Viognier 10 %

Region:      Hunter Valley

Vine Age:   Vines planted in 1978      
 

This wine is handmade for my wife Amanda, who loves aromatic and gentle reds.          

Tasting Notes  

Bright crimson-red with an almost opaque inky lustre, plus indigo-blue at the rim.

High levels of Viognier generate luxurious aromas, opening with refined and fragrances of  jasmine to fuller notes of honeysuckle.  With air these deepen to bolder scents of rose-petal and pot-pourri, together with  hints of fresh gingerbread.

The bouquet combines this top-note floral brightness with an equally impressive heart of black-fruits, with a lovely equilibrium of sweet ripe blackberry and glace cherry. Fine French-oak adds another dimension as the aromas develop, intertwining spice-notes of vanilla and cinnamon.

Flavours are rich with ripe black fruits that deliver luxurious texture, deliciously long and lavish with gentle chocolatey softness. This inky back-cherry Shiraz core is bold yet gentle, the high co-ferment proportion of Viognier delivering subtle power with reserve and elegance. Satin-soft tannins harmonise the palate with velvet notes of smooth vanilla and macadamia, elements of Viognier simmer with a heady exotic expression.

As always, the essence and character of ‘The Wife’ is about aromatic boldness with gentle textures. It possesses an aspect of refined power, delivering sophisticated grace and finesse.

Halliday Wine Companion 95 points

Drink : Now to 2040

Technical Data

Alcohol  13.8% 

pH 3.52

2022 Hunter Valley Shiraz Viognier

Variety:     Shiraz (95%) | Viognier (5%)
Region:     Hunter Valley
Vine Age:  40+ years old

Tasting Notes

A  classically elegant Hunter Valley red; soft and immediately attractive with smooth tannins and glossy balance. Vibrant Shiraz aromatics full of black cherry and liquorice with the Viognier adding rose petal and  musk. Fruit flavours carry blackberry, cola and Turkish Delight underpinned by a velvet creaminess and chocolatey roundness - the magic of Shiraz-Viognier co-fermentation.  

92 points Halliday Wine Companion

Drink: Now to 2030

Technical Data

Alcohol 13%

2025 Hunter Valley Semillon

Variety:     100% Semillon
Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley
Vine Age:  Planted in 1969

Vineyard : Keith Tulloch Hermitage Road 

Tasting Notes

100% Estate-grown fruit from the Field of Mars vineyard established in 1968 and our Latara vineyard established 1978. The mix of alluvial sand and richer clay soils from these two top Semillon sites delivers lovely fruit purity, along with bolder, richer depth of yellow and green citrus character.

Bright aromas of fully-ripe and freshly-squeezed Meyer-lemon and Tahitian lime are clear and powerful signatures, full of zest and energy. 

Flavours are equally zesty and direct – tangy and juicy and ripe from the initial taste through to a long-lasting and vibrant persistence. The mid-palate fruit focus is opulent lime and lemon, unwavering and full of potential with an almost endless fine balance. The finish and persistence are right on-point, showing delicious ripe-acid freshness plus hints of crunchy grapefruit and savory lemon-pith.

It shows terrific potential for cellaring beyond 10 years, but is so easy to enjoy now that we recommend drinking from now until 2040.

Drink: Now to 2040.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 10.5%

Single Vineyard Range

2024 WCD Vineyard Shiraz

Variety:     Shiraz (100%) 
Region:     Hunter Valley

Vineyard:  WCD Vineyard

This vineyard is located less than 14km from our cellar door, on Wine Country Drive in Central Pokolbin. This site enjoys balanced weather influences, gifting the vineyard with slightly cooler summer days with slightly more Easterly breeze. Soils are deep brown clays with flecks of red ironstone.

Shiraz aromatics of rich black cherry with concentrated blackberry, plus fresh leaf-and-flower accents of sweet briar and wild rose. Deeper spice-notes of juniper and black-pepper chime in too, with fine French-oak contributing subtle, elegant, and complex notes of vanilla and cinnamon.

Inky black-fruits dominate the palate, from black cherry to sweet blackcurrant, fanning out gradually with soft velvety notes of glace-fruits and dark chocolate. From mid-palate to the finish these flavours retain their power and energy, gaining lasting accents of liquorice, integrating beautifully with the softness of toasty barrel-spice. Tannins are deep and spice-laden too, gently staining the tongue with hints of malty Assam tea and graphite.

2 or 3 years in the cellar would be ideal, or if drinking before then decant for early reward.

Drink: Now to 2035

Only 157 dozen made                                                                     95 points The Real Review

Technical Data

Alc 14.7%

pH  3.5

TA  6.5