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Back to winesView a PDF of this page1999 'Alexander Munro' Shiraz - Aged Release Wine Notes Wine NotesRegion: Hunter Valley 'Alexander Munro’ Shiraz is our flagship wine and made from the best parcel of shiraz fruit we receive each year. Only wine from the very best Hunter vintages will be kept to cellar and re-release at 10 years of age. The 1998 vintage was the first as an Aged-Release. Situated on Palmers Lane in Pokolbin, the “Leonard estate” vineyard was the fruit source for this wine. The vines had an average age of over 40 years and were dry-land grown giving the fruit great flavour concentration. 1999 vintage yielded around 1.5 tonnes per acre. Hand picked fruit was crushed into open fermenters and innoculated with selected yeast at low rates to allow a longer fermentation, at higher temperatures. Maturation was in 40% new French oak and the balance to used French oak for 20 months. 1999 was a much cooler vintage than the previous one and allowed the fruit to ripen much slower and produced many wonderful wines. This medium-full bodied Shiraz has aged remarkably well and still appears in many ways youthful. The nose shows some lovely aged shiraz characters of leather and cigar box but has also retained the core of vibrant fruit that was present when it was a young wine. The palate is clean and pure, showing wonderful oak and fruit integration. The tannins are soft and fine but plentiful enough to allow many more years of graceful aging in a good cellar. Decanting is highly recommended prior to serving to allow the wine to be at its best. What the experts say"Still pretty fresh and lively with raspberries, blackberries and liquorice, pepper, cedar oak, the sweet old leathery scent of bottle age and an intriguing sort of smell which could be a) malt b) miso c) iodine or d) all of the above - well it’s quite complex anyway is all I’m trying to say. Then medium to full bodied, suitably mellowed by bottle age - the tannins smooth and fine but still lightly drying and grippy. It’s sweetly fruited but finishes dry with good length. Lovely wine just entering its plateau of charming maturity. Classic." Rated : 94 Points. Gary Walsh—The Wine Front—March 2009. "A well-inserted, quality cork has done its job well, carrying the wine through to the start of its plateau of maturity, with earthy Hunter flavours running through the black fruits, the tannins present but fine; has a particularly long finish." Cork. James Halliday - Australian Wine Companion - December 2009 "This "aged release" is a great Hunter red, loaded with personality and totally opposite to modern juicy-fruit reds. Very leathery, earthy aromas with crushed-seashell nuances. Just 13.5 per cent alcohol so it's lighter and leaner in the mouth. Those who are scared of feral aromas best stay away. Drink now." 95/100. Huon Hooke - SMH Good Living - 2nd February 2010
"From old vines on the Howard vineyard at Pokolbin, this is a classic aged Hunter red, loaded with leathery, earthy, tar and crushed oyster-shell aromas. It has terroir by the spadeful. It's savoury, elegant and mature." 95.
Wine Magazine - Top 100 New Releases - April 2010 Other vintages: 1998 |
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