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Mudgee, NSW
Warm climate/Elevation 500-600m
Mudgee, in the central west of New South Wales, is an up-and-coming Shiraz region. Located in the crater of an extinct volcano, this area has a viticultural history spanning almost 150 years. The first vines were planted in 1858 during the gold rush of that time. Curiously, however, the region came to prominence only in the 1970s. Huntington Estate, established in the late 1960s, has produced some exceptional Shiraz-based wines. The last decade has seen significant capital investment ploughed into this region. Rosemount and Orlando are particularly active. The climate is warm to hot, with a high degree of continentality, and spring frosts are a problem. Soils are generally sandy loams and red sandy clay loams. The best vineyard sites are located at elevations of around 500m on slopes. Rosemount has done much to attract attention to this region. Mudgee has witnessed an astonishing level of new plantings. Very much a region in evolution.
Chardonnay
Some of the oldest Chardonnay vines can be found in Mudgee with plantings dating back to the 1930s and earlier. However, the Hunter Valley – through Tyrrell’s Vat 47 Chardonnay – began the inexorable pathway to success. Mudgee Chardonnay ranges from the elegantly structured to the thick milkshake style. The arrival of Rosemount, known as Chardonnay specialists, has given an upbeat feeling about this region.
Shiraz
The wine capitalists somehow bypassed Mudgee during the 1960s and 1970s. Most went to the Hunter Valley leaving a small, dedicated group of winemaking pioneers to do all the hard work. Mudgee Shiraz has had a keen niche market for years, but the style is actually difficult to define. The wines certainly have plenty of blackberry liquorice fruit, concentration and pronounced gravely tannins. Better vintages show plenty of chocolatey flavours and palate softness. Mudgee could well express the ultimate Australian marriage of Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon.
Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon
In the last five years, Mudgee Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon is turning heads. It is a classic story of how people value things once they are packaged in a particular way. Mudgee’s reputation is swathed in the reflected glory of Rosemount’s marketing and winemaking flair. Yet Huntington Estate has been making some excellent wines for years. The fruit opulence and sweetness of Shiraz is meshed in with the fine, grainy tannin structure of Cabernet Sauvignon bringing wines with plenty of ageing potential. Mudgee has never looked so exciting.
Andrew Caillard MW, Langton's
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