We recently delved into the cellar and sampled a bottle of the highly regarded and awarded 2018 Mount Barker Whispering Hill Shiraz. This wine is in our Single Vineyard Range which we only produce in the best years from select rows in the vineyard and aged in French oak barrels, the best of which are bottled under the Single Vineyard Whispering Hill label.
We are pleased to report that Peter Pratten and Dan Hetherington have approved of the release of this wine to our members who registered their interest.
The Whispering Hill Vineyard is a haloed piece of dirt and the viticultural and winemaking team have done a superb job making this world class Shiraz. We are very proud of this outstanding wine and it has been recognised at the highest levels around the world.
One of the reasons Peter Pratten planted Shiraz on the Whispering Hill Vineyard in Mount Barker is that some of the best Shiraz vineyards in the OLD WORLD are laden with granite rock – Northern Rhone for example were Shiraz wines are routinely over a $100 a bottle. Granite outcrops litter the Whispering Hill Vineyard.
In fact the near by Porongurup Mountain Range to the north east is the oldest Mountain Range in the world. Towing granite peaks populate the range dated to be over 1 billion years old. Peter’s decision certainly was visionary and a decision we can all benefit from and enjoy today.
Awarded Best in Show at the Decanter Asia Wine Awards 97 points.
“The Mount Barker tradition with Shiraz may not be as well known as others in Australia, but this complex, enticingly scented midweight red stakes a convincing claim to the fine-wine high ground.
It’s dark but not saturatedly deep in colour; precise and enchanting floral scents and sweet spices rather than sumo-like fruit dominate the aromatic profile.
The palate brings those floral and spice notes together once again, and it’s just a spoonful or two of tar and earth rather than tannin which bring complexity to the pomegranate and damson fruits. Soft, naturally articulated acidity completes the happy picture.”
Asia Decanter Tasting Notes.
Rated 97 points by Ray Jordan as the “Best of the West Shiraz” in Ray Jordan’s Wine Guide 2020.
“An outstanding wine from this super vineyard in Mount Barker. In fact, I have to say this is the finest I have seen under this label…it is a complete wine with tremendous potential.”
Gold Medal in International Wine Challenge London Tranche 2020.
Top Blue Gold in Sydney International Wine Competition 2019.
