When we started to plan our trip to Australia, I have already started to think about the wineries and wine regions that I definitely want to visit there. And next to the Barossa Valley, the Hunter Valley was the place I really wanted to see.
I haven’t tasted a lot of Hunter Valley Semillon before, only learnt a great deal about it in the WSET courses and I was really interested.
So when we arrived there we have visited a few great and well known wineries – I am going to write an other post about them – but now I have chosen the winery which is not the most famous one but I loved them the most.
Keith Tulloch Winery is a small, family owned place and the first certified carbon neutral winery in the valley. I didn’t have any appointment for the tasting on arrival but they welcomed us and seated in a beautiful terrace with the view of the vienyards.
We have been offered to taste a good range of wines, started with whites, a really great Chardonnay and an even more beautiful Roussanne-Viognier-Marsanne called Epogée. I tend to enjoy the wines which made with more aromatic grapes like the Rhone varieties. The wine is full of stone fruit character with peaches and nectarine, pear and velvety texture from barrel fermentation. Good acidity and long finish, the wine is capable of ageing, I would be very interested to retaste this 2018 vintage in 5 years!
The reds where single vineyard Shirazes from old vines dated back to 1923 with a small touch of Viognier. Big, bold wines packed with ripe fruit aromas of blackberry, cherry, plum, cassis and black olives with black pepper and vanilla. Great wines to keep for an other 15 years.
Obviously for a great experience you need great wines but in this tasting the staff was just as important . Very knowledgable and helpful, they could answer all of my questions and in the middle of the harvest season and my tasting they send me down to take a look on the winemaking procedure. That was a really nice touch!
I had a little chat with the winemaker, tasted the free run juice during the pressing procedure and took a look on the barrel that they use for their wines. Everyone was really helpful and nice, even if I was maybe a little bit in the wrong place at the wrong time.
When I finally went back to tasting, my last wine was the Botrytised Semillon from more than 40 years old vines. Delicious taste with tropical fruit, honeysuckle and zesty freshness at the end. Well balanced wine, good with creme brulée and blue cheese.
I have really enjoyed their tasting, the wines, the hospitality, the savoir faire and I wish them good luck for this vintage and the next ones. Keep up the good work guys!
Have you tasted their wines? What do you think? How do you like them?
