Winetastic

This new release Meerea Park Shiraz 2006 is a blend of 60% Hilltops and 40% Hunter Valley fruit and is their first stab at the “budget wine” market. It will not be available at the cellar door, however you should be able to find it quite easily at Dan Murphy’s etc.

Deep crimson with jammy aromas of blackberry, blueberry and clove, this medium bodied red shows dark fruit flavours of blackberry and cherry, grippy drying tannins and a dash of oak on the savoury finish. NB: The wine was very recently bottled when these notes were taken.

The verdict? I like it, good shiraz fruit at a snappy price. Alternate dippings between a case of this regional blend and Mount Pleasant Philip 05 would be enough to make any New South Welshman swell with pride at the top notch budget booze we have available this year.

Score: 90/100
Price: $15
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, great value for money

Philip is a staple around our house, many a bottle of the 2004 vintage was sacrificed last year in the ongoing war against the liver. No doubt the trend will continue with this shiny new release of Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2005.

Ripe dark fruits dominate the nose, with raspberry, typical hunter earthy/leather aromas and a little alcoholic heat (that faded after an hour in a decanter). This medium bodied Shiraz exhibits intense blackberry and dark cherry flavours, backed up by spicy oak and fine tannin on the slightly earthy finish. Full flavoured with decent length, its regional, varietal and very gluggable.

Compared to previous vintages, this release is similar to 2003 and a small step above the more restrained 2004. Oh and don’t let the outdated bottle photo fool you, Philip is now sensibly sealed with screwcap.

Score: 90/100
Price: $14
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14.5%
Other Opinions: So hot off the press not even a Google search can reveal one
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, everyday drinking doesn’t get much better than this.

I have a confession to make, I don’t like Chardonnay. Perhaps it was the $10 over-oaked examples at backyard bbqs that made me turn my back, or maybe the flabby unoaked styles from warmer climates? At any rate I have finally found a Chardonnay I would actually spend money on! Surprise, surprise (or perhaps no surprise), it comes from Meerea Park in the form of the Alexander Munro Chardonnay 2007.

Lemon, nectarine and a hint of vanilla waft out of the glass, zesty citrus and tart stone fruit flavours are complemented nicely by well managed vanilla oak. Great balance between fruit sweetness, acidity and oak flavours on the persistent finish.

Although I really enjoyed it as a young wine, at $35 I guess you are missing the point if you don’t let it age for a while, those in the know recommend 5-8 years from vintage.

Score: 91/100
Price: $35
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama, Winorama (Twice!)
Would I buy this wine?
Yes, will be interesting to see where it goes in 5+ years time.

If its red, has a Meerea Park label on the bottle and comes from 2005 then its good, real good. Meerea Park “The Aunts” Shiraz 2005 is no exception.

Deep ruby red, alluring aromas of brambly berries, plums and a hint of oak are a sound indication of whats to come. Very soft and mouth filling, zesty red fruits combine with well managed oak and super silky tannins that lead into a lingering earthy finish. Well rounded and balanced, definitely food friendly.

Although drinking great right now, a few (or even many) years in the cellar will no doubt work wonders. A great value drop from an excellent Hunter vintage.

Score: 92/100
Price: $26
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 13.5%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama, Winorama (Twice!)
Would I buy this wine again?
One taste at the boutique wine center was enough to convince me to buy half a dozen.

Glenguin Estate’s “Stonybroke” red is a blend of 92% Shiraz and 8% Tannat, it is one of the many great value wines available at the Boutique Wine Center at Pokolbin in the Hunter Valley.

Ruby red in colour, this Shiraz has fruit laiden aromas of cherry, raspberry, blackberry and a hint of mushroom compost. Medium body with blackberry and red fruits on the palate lead into a dry, savoury finish with grippy tannins.

Overall its a good little wine that is food friendly and should cellar for a few years to boot, cant go wrong really.

Score: 89/100
Price: $19
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, very good value.

Peterson House is unique to the Hunter Valley, specialising in premium sparkling wines made by traditional methodè champenoise*. They host a series of wines to suit most drinkers, their sparkling range consists of the easy drinking “Blush” through to the premium blends that everyone can enjoy. The staff are friendly and knowledgable and happy to talk you through the range of wines on offer for tastings.

The Peterson House Gateway ($17.50) was a stand out wine for me, soft straw in colour and a developed nose of toast and fruit characters the palate is full with subtle citrus and hints of biscuit. An approachable easy-drinking wine with a clean soft finish that will appeal to the masses.

If you’re looking for something a bit sweeter then try the Pink Blush Rose ($17), a wine with an enchanting pink strawberry colour and fresh fruity aromas, fairly sweet on the mid palate with a clean fresh finish.

Peterson House have an excellent range of sparkling reds, especially the 2004 Sparkling Merlot($27) which is a vibrant crimson wine with a spicy berry aroma, the palate shows typical Merlot characters of berry and cinnamon. Another good red is the N/V Sparkling Shiraz Reserve ($34). This wine has a complexity and smoothness developed from four years aging on yeast lees and the palate is typical of a Hunter Shiraz with earthy and peppery characteristics.

If you’re after something a bit different then try the 2004 Botrytis Semillon ($25), this was the first sparkling dessert wine i’d tried and I was pleasantly surprised. A soft gold in colour with the aroma of wild honey and apricots, this is a well balanced wine that shows elegance and structure.

I would highly recomend a visit to Peterson House if you happen to be in the Hunter, they have an excellent range of sparkling wines available with something to suit everyone’s taste and budget.

*The conversion of a base wine into a sparkling wine using this traditional method can take from 9 months and up to 4 years. The bulk wine is tiraged/ bottled where it will go through a secondary fermentation in the bottle from 9 months to 4 years. The wine is then stored upside-down in wooden crates until such time as it will be disgorged ready for consumption. Riddling & Disgorging is the next process which involves the removal the dead yeast cells, achieved by freezing the necks of the bottle, forcing the yeast to extract. Additional liquor is added to get the desired sweetness and body required by the winemaker and the wine is then ready for consumption.

For those who enjoyed the 2004 vintage of the Meerea Park Shiraz Viognier, there is some great news - the 2005 vintage has recently been released and it is even better than the previous effort. If you have not yet familiar with Meerea Park wines, now really is the time to get acquainted.

Deep red/purple in colour, aromas of blackberry, plum, orange peel, and a hint of pepper virtually leap out of the glass. Medium to full bodied, tart blackberry and plum fruit flavours are balanced nicely by fine, mouthfilling tannins, subtle oak and a healthy dose of acidity. There is a level of balance and complexity here that you typically will not find in a sub-$20 wine.

Although this blend is great to glug down on its own right now, it really did shine even brighter when paired with a nice rich pasta sauce. No doubt it would be equally at home with any bbq meat or hearty beef dish. By all accounts there will be some good rewards for putting some bottles away in a cool dark place for a few years.

Score: 91/100
Price: $18
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Meerea Park, Winorama
Would I buy this wine again?
Although this bottle was a sampler, I will definitely be purchasing some more.

Its been a long time between drinks and wine reviews for me, over a month has passed. What better way to get back into the swing of things than with a bottle of the red wine to be served at our wedding next year, the recently released Mount Pleasant Philip Shiraz 2003.

Ruby red in colour with excellent clarity, subtle cherry and mixed berry aromas open up into overt blackberry after an hour or so. This is full flavoured shiraz exhibits distinct blackberry flavours that are supported by mixed spices and subtle oak. The somewhat subtle finish is medium in length, with just a touch of hunter valley earthyness.

This is a very different wine to the 2002 vintage, far more concentrated and fruit forward. It is drinking great now, and should continue to do so for several years according to the winery.

Score: 90/100
Price: $13
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 14%
Other Opinions: Could not find any online, not even Mount Pleasant have tasting notes available yet.
Would I buy this wine again?
Definitely, excellent value for money

Writing a review for a young Semillon is hard, there are only so many ways you can say “lemon” and “acid”. I tasted the De Iuliis Semillon 1999 at the cellar door this week, and subsequently purchased a bottle of the 2005 vintage from our local bottle shop. For what its worth, this wine also made James Hallidays “Top 100″ wines this year.

Pale straw in colour, this Semillon smells of grapes and lemon sherbert. Full flavoured and lemony, it has a good whack of acidity as well.

I would not really recommend this wine for drinking young, but it would not hurt to stash a few bottles away. The score is based on how the wine is drinking now. I contacted De Iuliis via email requesting a bottle photo, however the did not respond. *Edit* Thanks to GW for providing me with a bottle shot.

Score: 85/100
Price: $14
Closure: Screwcap
Alcohol: 11.5%
Other Opinions: De Iuliis
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, to cellar for 5+ years.

‘Gateway’ is the name of Peterson’s entry level sparkling wine from the Hunter Valley, it is made from 100% Semillon and impressed us at the cellar door for being very easy drinking and refreshing.

Petersons Gateway exhibits crisp and refreshing flavours of green apple, lemon and a hint of toast. Simple and very easy drinking, this wine has fine bubbles and is far better than the usual yeasty swill found at its price point.

The first bottle of this wine I purchased had cork seal issues and was basically flat. Petersons did the right thing, stating that they recently had a faulty batch of corks and replaced the bottle for no charge. They also plan to move to crown seals in the near future, at which time I will be even more inclined to purchase their excellent bubbles.

Score: 89/100
Price: $17.50
Closure: Cork
Alcohol: 11.5%
Other Opinions: Peterson House
Would I buy this wine again?
Yes, I wish it was available in bottle shops