Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz

Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz

Mount Pleasant owns four of Australia’s most historic vineyards: Old Hill, Old Paddock, Rosehill and Lovedale. Reminding O’Shea of the hillside landscape in the southern Rhône, Old Hill and Old Paddock are the original Mount Pleasant sites. First planted in 1880, Old Hill was already over 40 years old when it was purchased. Today, these old, low yielding Shiraz vines produce fruit of exceptional complexity and character. Rosehill, a mosaic of Shiraz blocks first planted in 1946, is also recognised as one of Hunter Valley’s best vineyards. Slightly higher in altitude than Old Hill and Old Paddock, and with a north easterly aspect, Rosehill is sheltered from the harsh afternoon sun, providing the perfect conditions for gentle ripening. As a result, it is always one of the last vineyards to be picked in the region, with extensive time on the vine allowing for brilliant accumulation of flavours and beautiful aromatics. Lovedale, Mount Pleasant’s critically acclaimed Semillon vineyard planted in 1946 on ancient sandy soils, is a real gem of a vineyard. Making a very distinctive, fragrant and elegant style of aged and unoaked Semillon for which the Hunter Valley is renowned, Matthew Jukes believes it produces ‘the finest single vineyard Semillon in the world’.

Under new ownership since 2021, the estate has benefitted significantly from recent investment in both the vineyard and winery. All wines in the Mount Pleasant portfolio are now exclusively made from grapes from their own vineyards, giving Adrian and the team full control over every aspect of production. The three Semillon wines are made from Lovedale fruit. The Estate Semillon, fermented in temperature controlled stainless steel tanks to preserve the delicate aromatics, is youthful, fresh and vibrant. The Elizabeth Semillon is the same wine, bottled and then cellared for five years before release under the Elizabeth label. It is quintessential unoaked Hunter Valley Semillon which perfectly showcases the wine’s ability to age. The ‘Lovedale Semillon’ is made using only the finest free run juice from the best parcels of fruit. To taste it is to understand why Jancis Robinson MW described Hunter Valley Semillon as one of Australia’s ‘great gifts to the world of wine’.

The two single vineyard reds, ‘Rosehill Shiraz’ and ‘Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz’, demonstrate the distinct and unique characters of the individual vineyard sites. While both have incredible ageing potential, ‘Rosehill Shiraz’ is floral and elegant, while ‘Old Paddock and Old Hill Shiraz’ has more structure and power. The Maurice O’Shea Shiraz, the estate’s flagship wine and tribute to its founder, is made only in the best vintages from very carefully selected plots from the estate vineyards, including the rare ancestral vines of 1880. It is a unique wine, consistently receiving 98+ points from Halliday and Suckling, and helped Mount Pleasant win ‘Winery of the Year’ in Halliday’s 2017 Wine Companion.

Undoubtedly a jewel in Australia’s vinous crown, we are thrilled to include the wines from this historic and revered estate in our portfolio.

This is a stunning wine for more information from the winery go to https://mountpleasantwines.com.au/

To see our full range of McWilliams wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/mcwilliams-family-winemakers/

A truly stupendous and different wine from a 5 star winery.

Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz