Red

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

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%

Single Vineyard Range

2017 McKelvey Vineyard Shiraz

Variety:     100% Shiraz

Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vineyard:  McKelvey Vineyard 

Vine Age:  Vines planted in 1998

Tasting Note

A single vineyard Hunter Valley Shiraz identified by the combination of vine site and clone. Soils are rich red-brown clay loam overlying a base of powdery limestone, on a gentle hillside with a north to north-west aspect on Deasys Road, Pokolbin. Shiraz clone SA1658 was planted here in 1998 – notably identified and isolated originally by my father, Dr Harry Tulloch in the 1960’s.

The aromas of this wine match the impressive colour; dark and laden with black fruit richness, paired to the subtle spice and creaminess of the oak bouquet. The length and intensity of black cherry, spiced plum and dark chocolate flavours prove the quality of this vineyard. The fresh lift, balance and tension of the finish points to many years of cellaring potential. 

Drink Now – 2030.

350 dozen made.

Food Match: Filet mignon, aged cheddar

92 points Huon Hooke

96 points James Halliday

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.5%

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%

2017 'The Kester' Shiraz Magnum

Variety: Shiraz (99%) | Viognier (1%)

Region: Hunter Valley, single heritage listed vineyard

Vine Age: Planted on own roots in 1923

Tasting Notes

A beautiful example of our flagship wine, showing all of the concentration, power and structure expected from such ancient vines.

Colour is brilliant red/black with fine purple freshness at the rim. the aromas show a wealth of fruit - jammy blackberry and inky cherry, plum and hints of fresh red raspberry, underscored by the classic Kester savoury notes of garrigue/ crushed herb and black olive.

Flavours are bright and direct, showing muscular structure with taut focus. Pristine fruits are packed in with sustained intensity spanning the flavour spectrum, from red cherry through to blackberry to black olive, moderated by supple mocha, spice and oak tannin. As it sits in the glass, the 'terroir' savouriness becomes even richer, adding deeper velvety notes of liquorice, herb, coffee, smoke and game.

Cellaring for at least 3 years is essential to allow the Kester to bloom, with at least a decade of development capacity to follow. Keep it even longer if you can for the best rewards.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.6%
pH: 3.35

2018 Hunter Valley Shiraz Viognier

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

Tasting Notes

Brilliant scarlet-red in colour and brim-full with ripeness, this S/V shows the luxuriant completeness of co-fermenting, combining the Shiraz aromatic richness of soft black-cherry (95%) with floral jasmine-like perfumes of Viognier (5%). This profusion of fruit combines on the palate with plush unity: dense yet satiny smooth, blackberry and cola-like with milk-chocolate softness, given extra sheen and depth from fine French oak, completing this opulent balance with a foundation of fine-spice vanilla and cinnamon.

The 2018 vintage gave us stellar harvesting conditions and fruit condition, this Shiraz-Viognier has appeal for immediate drinking or medium term cellaring.

Drink: Now to 2025 

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

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14%

The Family Collection

2018 The Kester Shiraz

Variety:     Shiraz (99%)  Viognier (1%)
Region:     Lower Hunter Valley

Tasting Notes

Showing all the hallmark signatures from a great Hunter Vintage, The Kester 2018 is a superb release. The colour of this wine is rich and deep, giving an indication of the power you will find in the glass - bright black and purple, with deep scarlet at the rim.

 The Shiraz fruit aromas are latent inky blackberry, immersed in deep perfumes of kirsch with lovely floral sweetness; following this is a lift of blueberry, and delicate Viognier hints of white bloom and jasmine. The classic old-vine elements chime in with grand flourish – aromas of juniper foremost, with hints of thyme, bay leaf, black olive, and espresso in reinforcement. The defining characteristics of this Kester are found on the palate - the wine’s lavish black fruit density and deep tannins are the heart of this complex expression of Hunter Valley terroir. Flavours are rich, concentrated, and intense, with powerful and inky black and blue fruits weaved in flawless union; delicious black cherry, boysenberry, dark chocolate, and liquorice-like characters unite, all bonding with satiny polish yet also a tongue staining flavour persistence. Superb tannin texture meshes fruit and French oak, entwined to delivering lasting momentum and flair. 

 Drink: With decanting you can enjoy this special wine on release, but it will also greatly reward cellaring for 20+ years.

James Halliday 95 points, Huon Hooke 94 points, The Wine front 94 points

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.3%

The Family Collection Range

2018 The Wife Shiraz 

Varieties:   Shiraz 90 %,  Viognier 10 %

Region:      Lower Hunter Valley 

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

Tasting Notes  

This wine’s youthful freshness shows in the glass – its colour is scarlet red with fresh blue highlights at the rim. Aromatically, the co-fermentation of Shiraz & Viognier delivers a complex melange where black cherry is supreme, revelling in fresh perfumed flashes of violet-flower and potpourri lavender. The unmissable allure of Viognier is woven throughout, interlacing with opulent perfumes of orange flowers and fresh apricot; this harmony continues on the palate, where the Shiraz supplies juicy depth whilst the Viognier  provides silky softness. Characters drift from black-berries in cream to apricot tart with delicious textural gentleness. This is all crowned by subtly spicy oak, giving final hints of vanilla, cinnamon, and gingerbread to support the wine’s fresh fruit flavour.

Irresistible – obviously!

Drink : 2020  to 2030 
  

Technical Data

Alcohol  14.3% 

pH 3.43

Single Vineyard Range

2019 Bainton Vineyard Shiraz    

Varieties:   100% Shiraz      

Vineyard:   Bainton Vineyard

Region:      Fordwich, Hunter Valley

Vine age:   Vines planted in 1923, 1942 and 1955

Tasting Note                                       

A heritage listed vineyard site with blocks planted in 1923 -1955, dry grown on deep, dark gravels of composited sandstone. Grown by the Bainton family, this old-vine Shiraz has dense colour and deeply packed rich flavours with great structure and power.

Colour: dense purple to scarlet, with flecks of deep-fushia at the rim.

Aromas: blackberry and anise swirl with spicy lift, jaffa and cola with hints of cranberry, oak spices of vanilla and clove.

Palate: very deep and dark: inky black cherry - cola at the core with super-ripe black fruits from blackberry through dense black currant to liquorice. The solid power is bonded to deep muscular tannins of almost tongue-staining espresso-like savouriness, reinforcing the inky blackness with gentle grip and carry onto the exceptionally long finish.

Drink: Now – 2030.

Extremely Limited Release 61 dozen made.                                    

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.2%

pH:          3.5

TA:          7.0

Single Vineyard Range

2019 McKelvey Vineyard Shiraz

Variety:     100% Shiraz

Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vineyard:  McKelvey Vineyard 

Vine Age:  Vines planted in 1998

Tasting Note

A single vineyard Hunter Valley Shiraz identified by the combination of vine site and clone. Soils are rich red-brown clay loam overlying a base of powdery limestone, on a gentle hillside with a north to north-west aspect on Deasys Road, Pokolbin.

Colour : Very deeply saturated crimson-scarlet, with bright purple/blue at the rim.

Aroma: An infusion of black and purple fruits delivering a cascade of plum, boysenberry, and blueberry, plus floral fragrances of lilac and fresh sage, subtle spiciness, with potpourri hints of fine rose-petal.

Palate: Classic signatures for this site are a delicious medium-bodied fullness of flavour, quite energetic, simultaneously imparting a gentle fruit-weight with ultra-fine tannins. The same perfumed fruits unveil from plum through blueberry, duplicating onto a fine satiny palate tinged with cranberry and red cherry, all combining to generate fine harmony and extraordinary fruit persistence. Fine French oak influence is from large format barrel, which purposefully reins-back barrel influences to a subtle role.

Similar in structure to the 2018 Vintage, the 2019 McKelvey Shiraz will grow in fine style and amplify over the next 5 to 10 years.

Drink 2022 – 2032. 
163 dozen made.

Technical Data
Alcohol: 14.5%

Single Vineyard Range

2019 Tawarri Vineyard Shiraz

Variety:  100% Shiraz
Region:  Upper Hunter Valley

Tasting Notes

Sited at the top reaches of the Hunter Valley, high on the slopes of the Great Dividing Range at an altitude of 460m. This isolated site benefits from rich basalt soils and a cool, dry continental climate; the result is a Shiraz showcasing such wonderful depth of colour, fully saturated core of crimson and dark scarlet, plus vibrant purple and deep blue at the rim.

Florals of violet and jasmine float above deeper aromas of briar and eucalypt, ripe black cherry and raspberry fruits. Cool-climate accents are present too, adding spicy wisps of white pepper and sage – all building extra dimensions of vigour and freshness 

The palate shows the essence of its terroir – ripe black cherry and raspberry delivering beautifully concentrated fruits over velvet-soft tannins. Savoury flavours of red cherry and aniseed provide lift and vigour, combining with the subtle textural notes of oak-spice.

Wines like these have the structure to age for 10 years or more, yet the fine tannins are seductive already, and 5 years in bottle should be enough reward.

Drink: Now to 2030. 160 dozen made. 

Technical Data

Alcohol: 14.5%

2021 PERDIEM 'Recolo' Rose

Variety:   Shiraz, Viognier, Semillon
Region:   Hunter Valley

Tasting Notes

Recolo ( Verb - latin) : 'I remember'

This fresh, inviting Rosé is worth remembering. First, there are the aromas, like crushed raspberries and rosewater; the flavours that follow are racy blood orange zest, cherry, pomegranate and watermelon. To finish there's a bead of red-grape texture and crunchy pink lady apple, enough to remind you that you're drinking a crisp, dry Rosé. 

Pop in the fridge or ice bucket immediately and serve chilled. Drink tonight with good food and company.

Drink: Now.
Food Match: Chicken, pork belly, and salads.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.5%
pH: 3.3