Mount Pleasant Mountain A Medium Bodied Dry Red, Hunter Valley
The Mountain Range wines pay homage to Maurice O'Shea's talent as a master blender. He had an astounding ability to make and recognise small unique parcels. And depending on what style they were, light-bodied, medium-bodied or full-bodied, O'Shea gave each of them different code names: Mountain C, Mountain A and Mountain D.
It couldn't be any more Hunter if it tried. It sits just on the bolder side of medium weight, it's underpinned by earth and dry spice, it's essentially red-berried, but there are suede, saltbush and roasted nuts character rippling through. There's a dusting of musk stick too. You'd bet on this having a long, beautiful future.
96 points, Wine Companion (December 2019)
Blueberry and boysenberry, juicy and full of flavour, grippy in a good way, slight hit of cedar oak, liquorice richness and succulence on a long finish. Aniseed and creamed honey in the aftertaste. Plenty of stuffing, and at the very start of a long life.
96 points, The Wine Front (August 2019)
The bouquet is sotto voce, earthy and subdued, with predominant earth-bound aromas, suggesting it needs more time to evolve its bouquet. A hint of iodine. The wine is soft and fleshy in the mouth, round and even and supple, and finishes with nicely textured, slightly chewy tannins. Medium to full body. Very good; needs more time.
95 points, The Real Review (September 2019)
The Hunter Valley is the most important quality wine-producing region in New South Wales, even though it represents only a fraction of the state’s production. Established in the early 1800s, the first vignerons recognised that the coastal fringe north of Sydney was too wet and humid for viable viticulture and thus took the decision to move into the hinterland. Although the region can be particularly hot, the cloud and rainfall patterns significantly modify the microclimate. The Hunter Valley is maritime influenced, with afternoon sea breezes funnelling up through the Hunter River and Goulburn River gap. Rainfall is very erratic and can arrive at the most inopportune time. Soils are generally rich volcanic and alluvial. The best vineyard sites are located within sight of the imposing Brokenback Range that is exposed to the cool sea breezes. Further inland, the maritime influence gives way to a greater degree of continentality. The Hunter Valley is best known for exceptional age-worthy Semillon and fresh savoury medium-bodied Shiraz, although Cabernet Sauvignon and Chardonnay also perform well.
