Description
TASTING NOTES
COLOUR: Deep purple.
AROMA: Spice and berries complimented by intense fruit.
PALATE: Classic Old Hill length and intensity. Ripe red fruits finishing with seamless Old Vine tannin.
FOOD MATCHES: Prime-rib steak with green peppercorn sauce
PEAK DRINKING: 2022 – 2040+
STORY
Planted in 1880 by Charles King, the ‘Old Hill’ or ‘O.H’ vineyard has produced some of the Hunter Valley’s greatest red wines. Legendary winemaker Maurice O’Shea first made wine from the ‘Old Hill’ in the 1920’s & 1930’s. These early wines are still regarded as some of the greatest Australian wines of all time.
Winemaker: Adrian Sparks
2018 VINTAGE: Little rainfall and a warm winter resulted in ealy bud burst for the region. The region recorded lower than average rainfall throughout the growing season resulting in an early vintage. Fruit quality was high with no disease pressure. With crops being slightly lower than average, harvest was around 8 days earlier than normal, with pristine fruit showing great intensity.
VINIFICATION AND MATURATION: Hand picked in three passes through the vineyard, only selecting the perfect bunches on each run. The fruit was destemmed to small open fermenters for a brief cold soaking period where intense colour was gained immediately. Fermented at 18-25˚C for approximately 9 days. Gently pressed to large format French oak barrels (~20% new) for almost 9 months maturation, before blending and bottling.
PROFESSIONAL REVIEWS:
97 points – Gary Walsh (Wine Front)
96 points – Huon Hooke (The Real Review)
