Mount Pleasant (McWilliams), Semillon Elizabeth, Hunter Valley

This was a hit last night. Nice intensity and purity in this wine. There’s citrus in the nose and medium bodied, refreshing palate, along with lanolin and apples. Healthy acidity is key. Nice now but will last under screw cap a long while (A-).

2019 vintage

Important note that this is from a magnum. Stunning, deep golden honey colour, 5.5/10 hue. Waxy, tropical fruit, apple, fairly faint nose. In the mouth its rich, a little oily, viscious, medium to big mouth feel which I loved. Tastes of tropical fruit, apples, cream, honey, vanilla, there is some tang and acidicty still but its lovely. Won wine of the night and perhaps the best Sem I have had yet, not something I will soon forget.

1998 vintage

This has developed nicely since I tried the first bottle in 2021. Time to buy some more Hunter Valley Semillon and forget about the bottles for a few years.

2017 vintage

We were fortunate, the cork had held and the wine was exactly what we’d been hoping for. Not even a hint of being near the end of its life, but drinking so well surely it’s at its peak now. This was the last Elizabeth under cork in my cellar, looking forward to discovering how the screw cap bottles develop.

2002 vintage

Hunter Whistlestop 2022 (Hunter Valley) : Fresh cut grass, honey, lime over lemon, a little green. Medium plus intensity acidity, very slight honey notes but the green/lime note translates to the palate as well. A bit hmm for me.

2017 vintage

Beautiful, crystal clear straw coloured wine. Buttered toast and light citrus on the nose. An initial hit of spritz as it passes the lips followed by honey suckle and an effortless transition to a waxyness as it passes across the palette. Drinking exceptionally well.

2002 vintage

Consistent with previous note.

2019 vintage

Very pleasant without any fireworks. Potential is there, but the softness of the acid suggests drinking up.

2017 vintage

PnP Clear medium lemon. Crisp slightly oily mouthfeel. Preserved lemon quince lime peel and lanolin on the nose. Flavours follow the nose. Crunchy lime sherbet finish. Very good. Drink now suitable for further ageing. Going to hold my last one for 5yrs.

2019 vintage

This was a clean skin wine as shown. Available at $99 a doz from grays online. I used to drink this at Tathra with unending supply of deep fried flathead caught that day. A great wine with deep fried anything. Lots a French fruit and zing. Loads of citrus with great lemon aftertaste.

2017 vintage

This bottle was a few years past its prime, showing slight oxidation which took the edge off the finish. Still incredibly moreish but lacking that vibrancy you get with a lively, aged Semillon.

2002 vintage

Love that it's just 10,5% alcohol. Flavour profile as expected. A little underwhelming now perhaps, at "just" four years old. Will evolve further.

2017 vintage

There seems to be a considerable amount of spoiled bottles of this, and given I bought and brought this all the way back from Sarawak which I imagine wouldn't have the best attention to proper wine shipping temperatures, I didn't have high expectations. I got lucky with a great bottle of well developed Hunter Valley semillon, no oxidation, just a lovely, nutty, toasty, honeysuckle, slightly waxy, medium bodied, low alcohol wine. Lots of character and a great example of this …

2002 vintage

Don’t drink too cold. Looks best at this stage after a short decant. Light to medium, nice white pepper tannin, lemon rind and drops, grassy, crisp Granny Smith. Too easy to drink. In drinking window, but will develop over the next 5 years.

2017 vintage

Hunter Whistlestop 2020 #2 (Hunter Valley) : Pretty, fresh ripe apple, a little citrus underpin, a little sulphur. Juicy medium plus acidity, apple and lemon, the tiniest textured burr on the mid palate. Yum.

2019 vintage

Fully mature, Toasty honey characteristics. Still showing some spritzy acidity that overpowers on opening. Much better after a few hours of being opened

2004 vintage

Had high expectations but was disappointed. Very light on the nose, a bit of funk at the start. Lemon, chalk, medium grip. Not my favorite

2017 vintage

Strong yellow colour. Slight effervescence on initial palate. Light kerosene on nose. Acidic aftertaste. Holding up well

2004 vintage

Pale, lemon appearance. Lemon, lime, peach, stone not on the nose, light bodied, medium acidity, sweetness on the finish with aftertaste of calamari lime. Nicely done.

2017 vintage

Hunter Whistlestop 2020 #1 (Hunter Valley) : Green apple, lime, a mineral note, lemon, slight cut grass and a little peach. In the mouth the wine has medium plus intensity acidity with flavours of green apple splashed with lemon and lime juice. Medium plus length. A little texture snags at the cheeks. Nice.

2017 vintage

Slightly overshadowed by the lost block. Still enjoyable with lemon curd and some flowers. Quite fragile right now and should be drunk, but I said that 8 years ago and it is still hanging on.

1998 vintage

Cork, 10.5% alc. Golden-red hue. Wet cork fell to pieces upon opening. Strong smell of cork. Some semblance of aged, tired, Semillon fruit on the nose. Devoid of any fruit on the palate. Opinion: The continual disappointment. At least this one wasn’t obviously faulty; just tired. Down the sink again.

2002 vintage

Very citrus dominant - definitely needs 5 years to settle down.

2017 vintage

Aged Hunter fun (Frank's place in Matraville) : Honey, cream, slight apple…tartly juicy, citric, wet, fresh, still with a little creamy flavour. The acid is very front to back of mouth - linear, if you will, and a little lost.

1998 vintage

Cork, 10.5% alc. Dark yellow/gold. On the nose, some mandarin, lanolin, struck match, delicate chamomile, and a very slight sherry note but not over-oxidised. The nose is more interesting than the palate which presents a bit mono dimensional. Buttered toast and sour lemon on the palate without much fruit remaining. Opinion: Nice/interesting on the nose but let down by a lack of freshness on the palate. This is the first drinkable bottle (out of 7?) from the dozen case so …

2002 vintage

Probably slightly past it’s best, but a worthy addition to the evening.

2004 vintage

Screw-cap. Pop and poured. At home. Appearance is clear, pale intensity, yellow gold colour. Thin legs. Nose is clean, medium+ intensity, with aromas of toast, honey, roasted nuts, sea-salt minerality, citrus lemon. Some petroleum. Developed. On the palate, dry, high acidity, low alcohol (10.5% only!), medium body. Medium flavour intensity, with flavours of honey, caramel toast, roasted nut, sea-salt minerality, citrus lemon and lime. Medium finish. Minerality dominates the palate with more air. Very good quality, especially considering the cheap …

2004 vintage

Golden colour. Toasty, wax, lemon, pear. Honeyed palate, holding nicely, still good freshness from the acid. Drink now and over the next couple of years.

2002 vintage

Wow wow wow. This is why I love cellaring this wine. Color is a lovely, deep gold. Nose is big, luscious and creamy with vanilla notes. Yes, it's spent no time on oak, but in a blind tasting I'd have guessed barrel-fermented Chardonnay. Palate follows through from the nose. Surprisingly, not too many secondary notes yet. Just lovely. Glad this was the last year under cork, as all future vintages will be of consistent quality when aged in a good …

2002 vintage

11/10/2015 Cork. Corked. Awful smelly socks and wet cardboard. Rank and undrinkable. Opinion: Expected nothing more from this wine that has failed to deliver time and time again. Maybe I’d get more pleasure from throwing my remaining bottles directly in the bin without opening them first?

2002 vintage

Cork, 10.5% alc. Strong yellow-gold. The barest hint of passionfruit, honey and toast. Cork smell. Bread. Extremely dilute lemon cordial in the mouth. Stripped? No length, just flat. Opinion: Having a horror run with these 02 Elizabeths; the last few over the past 2 years have been fully oxidised and sherried. This is very different in that it is flavourless and seemingly stripped due to mild TCA, but equally disappointing. About 6 bottles remaining and, given the poor run, I’m …

2002 vintage

Into its mature drinking window, still nice lemon fruit, sherbet, some butteryness, bright yellow colour. Drink now or next 5 years

2004 vintage

Pale gold colour. It is immediately apparent that the fruit has subsided and minerally notes are all that remain. Some zesty acidity but mouth feel is thin - not at all like I imagine (and read) that this wine was a few years ago. The wine has faded though is still palatable. Could pair well with Moroccan fare.

2004 vintage

Oxidised to a place beyond sherry.

2002 vintage

Mount Pleasant Wines Member Tasting (Coast Restaurant) : A bit tired, perhaps this one hasn't faired well under cork

1998 vintage

Quite developed nose of lemon and some creaminess. On the palate pretty light bodied and missing a little volume. But it has only 10,5 % alcohol, so it goe very well as an aperitif. It's at the end of its drinking window, so drink up.

1998 vintage

Lemon color. Showing the best of both worlds: Youthful citrus but developed wax and honey notes on the nose and palate. Nice.

2004 vintage

Deep golden hue. Developed nose with honey and just hints of citrus. Honey on the palate with enough weight to be medium bodied. Citrus kicks in on the mid palate, slightly harsh and finishes very short. The lack of finish really makes this wine feel out of balance.

2002 vintage

Very golden yellow. Drink up I think - these have pretty much peaked. Aromas of lemon, wax, bannana and florals. Flavours of lemon, honey, toast, butter, and maybe pineapple. Nice and complex and was great with a 3kg atlantic salmon with butter, white wine and dill. What a great bargain and statement of the quality of Hunter Valley semillon.

2002 vintage

{screwcap, 10.5%} Mid yellow-gold. Developed, almost aged nose of honey and citrus notes. The caveat is that this bottled was opened the day before and the remainder refrigerated, so there's certainly some loss of freshness that's not really typical here. Standard light-medium body, medium-length flavours of aging citrus and straw, but fairly soft acid. Drink over the next 5 years or so. And do it in one sitting!

2004 vintage

Coloured golden with a greenish tinge, almost glowing. Honeysuckle, bready toast, wax on the nose. Lemon, lime, some straw, talc.

2002 vintage

Golden colour, toasty nutty nose, spritzy, citrus, a little soapy but a refreshing drink and good match for fish'n'chips. Slightly better on second night.

2004 vintage

Whites with Teochew Food (Lee Kui (Ah Hoi) Teochew Restaurant, Mosque Street) : This bottle was in a rather awkward adolescent stage between a young Hunter Semillion and a mature one. Nose opened with a whiff of varnish, followed by sweet pineapple gummys, a dash of vanilla and plenty of yellow fruited banana tones. There was some mineral, earth, spice and saline notes underneath that, but it felt that they were just starting to emerge from under all the fruit. …

2002 vintage

Be careful not to serve this too cold. After warming to about 14-15 degrees it flourished into a classic Elizabeth, very nicely balanced, still a fair bit of lemon but faintly developing toast and a whiff of waxiness. Developing a bit of colour too. Nice mouthfeel and acidity. A lesson for myself in serving temperature for Semillons - upon initial opening this was far too cold (probably about 6 degrees), astringently acidic with considerable spritzer and an unfriendly amount of …

2004 vintage

Bright medium-yellow color. Toast and honey and beeswax on the nose gives the impression that the wine will be viscous and semi-dry. Instead, the palate is clean and surprisingly light-bodied with tart apple and lemon acidity. Bone dry. Finishes with a minerally bite.

2004 vintage

Aussie classics (Keith's, NYC) : Perhaps a little bit past its prime, bright gold in colour, quite waxy and nutty in its flavour profile with some melon and quince fruit underneath, creamy at the back end but a little soft for my liking without the acidity I look for in Hunter Semillon.

2002 vintage

NobleRottersSydney - Hunter Valley (Alio's, Surry Hills) : [10.5%, cork] {Bruce} Mid yellow. Somewhat developing nose of lemon, lanolin and generally waxy aromas. The palate is rather youthful, full of lemon-citric fruits, but still with a grassy strawlike accent to it that is distinguishes it from, say, a typical riesling. The palate is comparatively weighty, and nicely balanced too; it has the same persistent finish despite its general lightness as the 96, and should follow the same path.

2002 vintage

Crisp & sharp. Classic Elizabeth Semillon tasting.

2004 vintage

Moreish nose of marmalade and butterscotch with good height. Juicy mouth of Irn Bru, lime, mandarin, butterscotch and lanolin with a fair bit of acid. The acid was initially too strong but settled down after an hour of airing. It had a long delicate finish with good height that was still faintly present after 90 seconds. We bought this at auction so I don't know how well it was stored. I can't imagine this particular set of bottles lasting much …

1998 vintage

Critics used to rave about this wine some years ago when I was first trying out wine and I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. After trying some aged semillons over the intervening years but sadly living in a country where aged semillon is almost unheard of, I haven't been able to try the Elizabeth again until now. It is certainly much more impressive than memory (is it me or is this an amazing vintage?). Butter, olives and …

2004 vintage

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Mount Pleasant (McWilliams), Semillon Elizabeth, Hunter Valley

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