White

FIELD OF MARS - Single Vineyard Range                            

Field of Mars Chardonnay Block 6 2017

Variety:   100% Chardonnay

Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vineyard:  Keith Tulloch Field of Mars Vineyard

Vine Age:  Vines planted in 1968

Tasting Note                                              

Close planted in 1968, this dry farmed Chardonnay vineyard is a rarity, particularly planted with ‘Busby clone P58’, recognised amongst the strongest Chardonnay clones. Our vines are grown in the deep alluvial powdery sands, on a tiny 0.25 hectare plot, producing incredibly intense fruit characters.

Colour: straw green with pastel yellow flecks.

Aroma: bold expressions of fully-ripe stone fruits, citrus and pineapple. Barrel fermented with wild yeast adds a soft aromatic wash of warm nougat and fine vanilla.

Palate: the Chardonnay signatures are focused, holding your attention with an unwavering juicy core of nectarine, golden pineapple, citrus and melon, matched equally with deluxe barrel, cashew like creaminess and fig-savouriness throughout. These flavours are complex, also showing elaborate highlights of struck-flint, gun-smoke and nougat; these notes adding beautiful flair as they build in the glass. The unity and focus of these elements is secured with a bright line of acidity, with a tangy freshness and great aging potential.

Cellaring potential: Keep it if you can, beyond 10 years.

157 dozen made

James Halliday 95 points, Huon Hooke 96 points                                                                                                       

Technical Data

Alcohol:  13.0%

pH:         3.22

TA:          6.8

FIELD OF MARS - Single Vineyard Range                            

Field of Mars Semillon Block 2a 2017

Variety:   100% Semillon

Region:    Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vineyard: Keith Tulloch Field of Mars Vineyard

Vine age: Vines planted in 1968

Tasting Note 

This tiny 0.25 hectare Block 2a vineyard planted in 1968, is a real treasure - year-on-year these Semillon vines produce exceptional varietal expression. The deep alluvial sand is key to preserving the grape's elegance and intensity, also enabling the juice to hold a natural core freshness, low pH and bright acidity.

Vintage: Summer weather was stable, hot and dry, with good soil moisture in the deep sands of this old silty riverbed. The tiny old-vine block was hand harvested slightly later than usual on 24th January.

Aromas are tightly wound and intense: Meyer-lemon and golden-apple, hints of fine green-herb, citrus-curd with zesty freshness.

The palate flavours are concentrated with tightly-coiled juiciness: green and yellow citrus flavours with classic zest intensity and bright energy, line and length lifted by delicious juicy acidity. A slightly chalky, minerally lip-smacking mix giving perfect youthful balance with potential for long term cellaring.

Drink: Now - 2036+

Limited Release - only 162 dozen made.

James Halliday 96 points, Huon Hooke 96 points
 

162 dozen made
       

Technical Data
Alcohol:   10.4%
pH             3.01
TA             6.6

Single Vineyard Range

2019 Eagles Rest Vineyard Chardonnay

Variety:   Chardonnay 100%

Vineyard: Eagles Rest Vineyard

Region:    Pokolbin, Hunter Valley

Vine Age:  Vines planted in 1970's by Don Maxwell

Tasting Note

Planted at 200m altitude on a Southern facing steep slope on deep red volcanic basalt soil, in the foothills of the Brokenback Mountain Range.

Colour: crystalline bright: a very youthful, fine chiffon yellow.

Aromas: primary fruits are yellow pineapple to bright nectarine with subtle hints of jasmine and fine oak, suggestions of pistachio and vanilla.

Palate: defines pineapple and stone-fruit with a crisp minerally finish. Fine textures due to whole-bunch inclusion at pressing, generate an elegant umami that matches the finesse of fruit and the delicacy of oak. Creamy yeast-lees chime in with savoury textural hints of yoghurt and cashew, and these elemental signatures will enrich the main flavours with plush roundness as the wine matures and softens.

 This vineyard has excellent pedigree and potential. This 2019 Chardonnay will last for many years and show at its best from 2025 and onwards. If drinking now please allow time in the glass, or decant, and enjoy.

Drink: Now to 2030

150 dozen made.

James Halliday 94 points

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.5%

pH:        3.22

TA:         6.1

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

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

Single Vineyard Range

2019 McKelvey Vineyard Chardonnay

Variety:     100% Chardonnay       

Vineyard:  McKelvey Vineyard

Region:     Pokolbin, Hunter Valley               

Vine age:  Vines planted in 1998                                                 

Tasting Note

The soils are rich red-brown clay loam overlying a base of powdery limestone, on a gentle hillside with a north to north-west aspect.

Colour is a pearl-like shimmer of chiffon-lemon-yellow tinged with opaline light green.

Aromas are intense and sophisticated, ripe citrus and stone fruits mixing with myrtle and verbena, tantalisingly elegant layers of barrel ferment giving unobtrusive dimensions of spice with the gentle fumé elements of sandalwood, mineral, and gun-flint simmering in the background.

The palate shows a ripe fruit length, seductively textured, nuanced with creamy, nutty, and ethereal mealy softness like nougat and fine pistachio.Oak is very subtle, almost saline, contributing a sustained savoury lightness plus a final dusting of spice and vanilla.

Drink: Now - 2028.  
224 dozen made.

Technical Data
Alcohol:  13%
pH:          3.18
TA:          6.5        

MRV 2019

Variety: 47% Marsanne | 43%  Roussanne  | 10% Viognier
Region: Hunter Valley

Tasting Notes

This wine was previously known as Epogée

The boldness of this wine is obvious even in how it presents in the glass, with a strong lemon-yellow colour with flecks of green.

Aromatically, this wine is really in a class of its own. All three varieties contribute differently to the bouquet: Marsanne (47%) gifts the highlights of fresh citrus and pear, sweet lemon and fig. Roussanne (43%) fills out the fruit accents of ripe apple, honey, and fine herb tea. 

Finally, a dash of Viognier (10%) brings bright and floral distinction, with clear notes of honeysuckle and orange blossom plus hints of jasmine. 

The characteristics of each variety add a different character to the aroma and this complexity carries on throughout the palate of the wine. The Marsanne and Roussanne combine perfectly for pear, fig and macadamia flavours that are lush, layered and textured whilst viognier confers a nectarine tang with fine cardamom-like spiciness. These three varieties were fermented individually in French oak barrels before blending, which supports these layers of texure with subtle spice and creaminess onto the finish.

Drink:Now to 2025
Food Match: Gnocchi, pasta, or seafood

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.6%
pH: 3.32 

2020 Hunter Valley Chardonnay

Variety:     100% Chardonnay
Region:     Hunter Valley
Vine Age:  20+ years old

Tasting Notes

This barrel-fermented Chardonnay presents in the glass with colours of green straw, hints of jade-green plus pale lemon brightness.

The fruit aromas of this wine showcase ripe nectarine perfumes, supported by finer scents of pineapple, white fig and jasmine. Barrel fermenting combines richness with refinement, contributing fine yoghurt and cream aromas plus subtle hazelnut and cashew-like oak elements.

Stone fruit and citrus are in even balance on the palate, with nectarine and ripe-lemon mixing beautifully with sorbet-like tang. The yoghurt and cashew hints from the oak are present here too; they will continue to build on the palate over time, amplifying the creamy complexity and satiny charm.

Drink: Now to 2025.

Food Match: Shellfish, poultry dishes, and soft cheeses.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.9%
pH: 3.23

2020 PERDIEM 'Sitio' Semillon

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

Vineyard :   Keith Tulloch Estate

Tasting Note

Sitio ( Verb - Latin): 'I'm thirsty'

This snappy, bright Semillon is the perfect refreshment. We make this wine in a way that emphasises Semillon's most tantalising aromas and flavours. On the nose, its a melange of crushed pear, pineapple, lime and meringue. The palate springs out of the glass with tang and flavour, just a hint of Campari-like sherbert with lemon-lime, guava, green apple and lychee.

Pop it in the fridge or ice bucket immediately, and serve chilled.

Drink: Now.
Food Match: Spicy Asian dishes, semi soft cheese with a fresh fruit plate.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 9.2%
pH: 2.99