Out Of The Bottle
With David Ellis
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Why This Semillon's A Patch Above Others
Mount
Pleasant Lovedale Hunter Valley Semillon is an extraordinary wine, not
just for the quality of the wine itself, but for the fascinating tale
behind it.
Situated in NSW’s Lower Hunter Valley, the Lovedale
Vineyard sits across a patch of sandy loam soils that when the
legendary – and visionary, as it turned out – Maurice O’Shea planted it
to Semillon grapes in 1946, local wags chortled that the block was so
poor, even the rabbits had to bring along a tucker bag just to survive.
And
that the rabbits had to watch their backs too: the only thing the block
had ever proven useful for, was as an emergency airfield during the
Second War.
But O’Shea knew what he was doing and proved the
wags the bunnies: since its first vintage in 1950 Lovedale has produced
wines that are benchmark Australian Semillons keenly sought-after by
aficionados here and world-wide.
Made only in exceptional
vintages, Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon is a style unique to
Australia and the Hunter Valley, and according to current maker, Phil
Ryan – only the third to be charged with producing this iconic drop –
one of just a few Aussie whites with 30 years cellaring potential.
The
just-released 2003 echoes the marque’s classic history: it is refined
and delicate, subtle yet mouth-filling with lemon and lime flavours and
a hint of grapefruit about it, and has a rich toasty mid-palate. At $65
enjoy it on its own now with good friends, or put a bottle away for a
VIP visit down the track.
One For Lunch
Dowie
Doole’s 2007 Shiraz is an explode-in-your-mouth wine that’s big on
full-bodied sweet cherry, plum, spice and liquorice flavours, and has a
more-ish long savoury palate.
This 10th vintage Shiraz from
Dowie Doole is excellent value at $25, so grab a bottle and indulge
winemaker Brian Light’s magic with savoury Italian beef dishes heavy
with tomatoes, garlic and mushrooms. And consider a few for the cellar:
this one’s got 6 or 8 years in it.
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