2019 The Wife Shiraz

The Family Collection

2019 The Kester Shiraz

Variety:     Shiraz (99%)  Viognier (1%)
Region:     Hunter Valley, single heritage listed vineyard
Vine Age:  Planted on own roots in 1923

Tasting Notes

This Vintage can flex its muscles – it has power and polish, depth and grip with terrific focus.

Colour is vivid red / black with a deep scarlet hue.

Heady aromas of jaffa and orange blossom over deeper concentrated blackcurrant, cola, anise and blackberry. Lifted hints of juniper and crushed herb build as the wine breathes.

Black-fruits dominate the palate with lashings of inky dense, muscular black-currant and black-cherry, over a liquorice-like sweetness balancing rich black-chocolate dryness and a black-olivine savouriness. This foundation is firmly bonded and taut, lasting, with all parts contributing an iron-clad assertion. Exotic expression with luxuriant waves of fine oak delivering fume` spices and subtle roast-coffee-like extract.
The 2019 Vintage Kester shows the result of 3 year of continual drought: it is inky and firm, latent, intense, and deep with terrific promise and pedigree.

Drink: Now to 2040+

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.3%
pH: 3.5

2019 Hunter Valley Shiraz Viognier

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

Tasting Notes

Brilliant scarlet-red in colour with crimson rim.

The 2019 Shiraz Viognier shows wonderful black fruit perfumes of super-ripe black-cherry with background hints of pretty white-flower jasmine. Fine French oak contributes with gentle vanilla and cinnamon spice. The palate is plush and velvety –  the shiraz 95% shows as blackcurrant with dark berry richness and cassis adding a dense yet satiny gloss. Viognier  5% is about opulence with luxuriant polished softness with extra elements of flower and spice. Co-fermenting has gifted an extra degree of lift and length to the palate, combining the flavours for a great young drinking style.

Drink: Now to 2030 

Food Match: Slow cooked meats, pizza, or risotto.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 13.5%

2021 Hunter Valley Semillon

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

Vineyard : Keith Tulloch Hermitage Road 

Tasting Notes

There is a beautifully natural harmony in this 2021 Semillon – perfectly ripe and perfectly fresh – the result of cool Summer weather with mild conditions through to harvest. Bright green-straw colour, glints of emerald with light pastel-yellow flecks. The aromas are vibrant ripe lemon through to scented lemon-myrtle, subtle fragrances of zesty kaffir-lime and hints of tropical zest. The palate is pure and precise, with core flavors of freshly squeezed lemon and lime. True to style, these golden lemony flavors have an elegant length and a fine tangy lift. The sensation is light yet effortlessly long, lemonade-like with ripe fruit sweetness upheld by a bright and vital freshness.

Drink: Now to 2030.
Food Match: Fresh oysters, and prawns.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 10.2%
pH: 2.92

2017 Forres Blend

Variety:    91% Cabernet Sauvignon 9% Cabernet Franc
Region:     Hilltops and Hunter Valley
Vineyard:  Freeman and Peter Drayton Vineyard

Tasting Notes     

Colour is dense red-crimson with a bright hue of blue-purple.

On the aroma, Cabernet Sauvignon is sovereign, an aromatic cascade of blackberry with cassis-like intensity and depth, brightened with the characteristic Cabernet Franc flair of raspberry and herb-like aromas of lavender and gun-smoke.  

Cabernet Sauvignon dominates the palate too with glossy back fruit richness of significant depth, contributing delicious tannins that deliver gravelly persistence and structure.

Cabernet Franc adds its distinguished flair from start to finish, lifting the palate as it does the aroma, gifting hints of raspberry and pomegranate and then herb fumé with its authentic bright lightness.

The 2017 Forres Bend is all about a perfect Cabernet partnership delivering true fruit harmony and expression, uniting the aristocratic richness of Cabernet Sauvignon with vibrant Cabernet Franc energy.

Drink: Now to 2029.
Food Match: Venison, gamey meats and lamb

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.5%