White

2014 Hunter Valley Museum Semillon

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

Vineyard : Keith Tulloch Estate

Tasting Notes

Colour is bright green straw with subtle flecks of fresh opalescent yellow, almost unchanged from when it was put to glass.

Aromas are vibrant too : lemon and lime are the central focus, with enticing hints of fresh-cut yellow apple.

Flavours are just as compelling: ripe lime and juicy Meyer-lemon mix equally, with delicious light-satin finesse and vivid citrus detail.

Yellow apple-like characters chime in across the mid-palate, with riper honeyed-fruit roundness and crunchy freshness.

The structure is terrifically tense and energetic, with a fine brightness of acidity unifying and elevating all flavours into a crisp, tangy, slightly pithy finish. 

At 7 years of age this Museum Semillon displays superb primary fruits, a natural brightness, inherent strength and elemental purity, a classic example of Hunter Semillon timelessness.

It’s delicious drinking now, but what you see now will only get better. Another 3 or 4 years in the cellar would be perfect.

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

Technical Data

Alcohol: 11.6%
pH: 3.02

2016 Fortified Viognier

Variety: 100% Viognier

Style: A Rare Barrel Aged Fortified

Tasting Note

Rich apricot, tangerine, treacle tart and complex spice aromas .

 Powerful orange fruits weave throughout – super-ripe apricot to the fore plus mandarin and cumquat – delivering glossy, mouth-filling sweetness with tangy freshness. This Viognier has been fortified using premium brandy spirit and this essential detail dove-tails into the mix, generating palate spiciness and lift that is totally unified.

 This fortified Viognier has aged for 5 years in one set of French oak barrels, evolving luscious mid-palate elements of Crème Brûlée, and fresh hints of almond nougat onto the long satin-soft finish. Lingering wisps of brandy-snap and ginger remain on the palate, showing evolution of richness to come.

Drink: Now to 2040+

Food Match: Vanilla Bean Panacotta, Creme Brulee

Technical Data

Alcohol: 18%

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

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 

2021 Hunter Valley Chardonnay

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

Tasting Notes

Colour is fine straw green with flecks of pastel lemon-yellow.

This Chardonnay shows aromatic hints of golden pineapple and banana over the finer perfumes of nectarine and peach. Wild-ferment esters deliver elegant scents of oyster-shell, flint, and mineral. Subtle French oak adds to the mix with spicy hints of brioche and vanilla. The palate flavours combine juicy nectarine and tangy peach, yellow melon and fig fruits with a yoghurt-like creaminess onto a long soft finish.
This wine is already great drinking.

Winner of the George Wyndham Memorial Trophy, Best Current and One year old Chardonnay, at the Hunter Valley Wine Show 2021.

Drink: Now to 2027.
Food Match: Shellfish, poultry dishes, and soft cheeses.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.9%

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

2021 PERDIEM 'Pario' Pinot Gris

Variety:   100% Pinot Gris
Region:   Premium vineyard areas in New South Wales Australia

Tasting Notes

Pario ( Verb - Latin): ‘Bring forth’

The true varietal characters of musk and green apple offer bright, refreshing aromas lifting out of the glass. Nutty spice and the waxy textures of macadamia and barley carry through on the palate with the fruit flavours of white peach, pear and lime zest. A lovely balance of fruit and exotic spice that complements a wide variety of foods and appeals instantly. 

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

Drink: Now.
Food Match: Most foods.

Technical Data

Alcohol: 12.4%
pH: 3.3

2021 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: 9.8%
pH: 3.07

TA: 7.9