2021 Autumn Red Dozen

Single Vineyard Range

2019 Latara Vineyard Semillon                                           

Variety:      100% Semillon 

Vineyard:    Keith Tulloch Latara Vineyard

Region:       Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vine age:    Vines planted in 1978

Tasting Notes

This single vineyard on Deasys Road, Pokolbin was established in 1978 on volcanic, clay and limestone soils. The site has a gentle rise with a Western aspect, providing plentiful sunlight for consistently outstanding fruit. Latara Semillon posses a very striking personality: a pure clarity of colour, aroma and flavour, delivering extra radiance and volume with natural grace and power.

Colour : Extremely fine with flecks of lime and neon-green.

Aromas: The vineyard signature fruit characters are ripe lime-juice and lemongrass through to zesty tropical notes of Kaffir lime and pineapple. 

Palate: A bolder expressive palate full of juicy lime energy with the textural roundness of golden apple with zesty tropical fruit and pineapple. Flavours combine with an elegant sherbet-like balance: fresh and tangy, effortlessly long, with terrific focus and persistence. 

Cellaring: Showing beautiful harmony already, but in 5 years it will be sensational drinking, and in 10 years even better.

Drink: Now - 2030. 
165 dozen made.                                                          

Technical Data
Alcohol   10.5%
pH           2.74
TA           7.6

2019 Hunter Valley Semillon

Variety:     100% Semillon
Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley
Vine Age:  Planted in 1968

Vineyard : Keith Tulloch Estate

Tasting Notes

This Semillon has classic fine aromatic signatures - ripe lemon with traces of perfumed lime, and pretty aromatic hints of white flower. On the palate, varietal lemon-zest flavours rule, showing stunning clarity and deliciously detailed elements - like kaffir lime in lemon juice - finishing with apple-crunch brightness and minerally length. As usual, this wine shows lithe texture and vibrant persistence, conferring wonderful pedigree and potential.

There is great drinking enjoyment now with opportunity for cellaring ahead. Beautiful harmony will begin to develop within 1-2 years, while 5 to 10 years will elevate this  youngster into a classic Hunter Semillon.

Drink: Now to 2029.
Food Match: Fresh oysters, and prawns.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 10.5%
pH: 2.96

FIELD OF MARS - Single Vineyard Range                            

Field of Mars Shiraz Block 1 2017

Variety:     100% Shiraz

Region:      Pokolbin Hunter Valley

Vineyard:   Keith Tulloch Field of Mars Vineyard

Vine Age:   Vines planted in 1968

Tasting Note

Block 1 is a mature low yielding vineyard delivering outstanding Shiraz, grown in deep clay soils, planted in 1968.

Colour: deep, dense, red and jet-black with a bright crimson rim.

Aroma: rich and complex, filling the glass with decadent black fruit power, dense cassis-like black cherry, lifted with juniper, sweet-currant and fresh quince, then heady hints of black pepper, clove, violet and mocha oak-spice.

Concentrated without being heavy, the palate captures mouth-filling blackberry power and depth, underpinned by gentle tannins which carry the momentum and deliver extra spiced layers of bramble and olive. This solid black fruit commands with terrific length, harmonising with French oak to amplify the volume and build a plush espresso-like crema onto the finish.

Drink: Now- 2035+

Limited Release – only 161 dozen made.

James Halliday 96 points

Technical Data

Alcohol:   14 %

pH:         3.37

TA:          7.2

The Family Collection

2017 The Doctor Shiraz

I’m proud that we can create a wine that honours my father’s incredible lifetime of work in the Australian wine industry as a renowned viticulturist and PhD. Throughout my life, Harry has been my teacher. 

In exceptional red vintages, I taste through the best barrels of Hunter Valley Shiraz with Harry. His favourite barrels are kept aside, blended and bottled in extremely limited quantities. In a way, this wine is more his taste than mine - a bold, rich expression of Hunter Shiraz more atuned to the old school than the new school, but brimming with quality.

Tasting Note

This Shiraz is the most lavish and concentrated wine that we produce. It’s a wine that explodes out of the glass with descriptors for colour, aroma and palate that are inseparable. .

Simmering and bold, ripe and dense fruit flavours; blackberry, blueberry and liquorice. There are notes of cranberry, orange, spice and dark chocolate, supported by the grainy espresso-like tannins in equal parts from low-yielding fruit and fine French oak. The Doctor 2017 really stamps its authority as the mouthful fades – instead of diminishing or finishing there is a persistent hum of bright fruit flavour, leading one taste into the next in seemingly never-ending waves of cascading and evolving Shiraz fruit complexity.

Drink : Now to 2040

James Halliday 96 points, Huon Hooke 96 points

Technical Data

Alcohol 15%