Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Aged Semillon – The wine shows bright citrus layered with notes of honey and toast, capturing the character of aged Hunter Valley Semillon. A beautiful texture and intense flavour are the hallmarks of what this variety does best: age gracefully over an extraordinary amount of time.
The 2021 vintage was a surprise, following the challenging 2020 vintage that was impacted by wildfire smoke. After four consecutive years of drought, the 2020 calendar year brought rain that was well over the long-term average. With bud bust on cue in late August, careful vineyard management was essential to ward off any potential issues. Fortunately, the rain stopped in January, allowing a window of opportunity for fruit to achieve a perfect level of ripeness in excellent condition. A season that was looking challenging evolved into what history will remember as an excellent Hunter Valley vintage, particularly for Semillon. 2021 has produced wines with fine acidity, pure fruit character and a focused expression.
Inspired by the first visit of a reigning monarch to Australia in 1954, Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Aged Semillon is the embodiment of the synergy achieved by combining the noble grape variety Semillon and the Hunter Valley. Renowned for its unique ability to be enjoyed when fresh and admired when allowed to age gracefully, McWilliam’s celebrates both styles through Elizabeth. Having been placed in the Mount Pleasant cellars for extended bottle age, this small parcel of Semillon now enjoys the benefits gained from patience.
Mount Pleasant was founded in 1921 by legendary winemaker Maurice O’Shea, widely recognised as the father of modern Australian winemaking. According to James Halliday, who named Mount Pleasant third in the inaugural 100 Top Wineries of Australia in 2023, there’s an argument to say it is Australia’s most important wine estate. It’s certainly ground zero of fine Australian table wine, thanks to the legendary exploits of Maurice O’Shea. But successive winemakers, from Phil Ryan to Jim Chatto to Adrian Sparks, have inched the wines of this estate to higher levels, to the point where now a whole series of its current-release wines are classics in the making.
For more information on the winery go the McWilliams website
To see our full range of McWilliams wines go to our dedicated McWilliams web page
A truly stupendous and different wine from a 5 star winery.
£28.00 a bottle
12 in stock
McWilliam’s Family Winemakers
“Few have helped shape the evolution of the Australian wine industry like McWilliam’s Wines. From humble beginnings on the outskirts of Corowa in 1877, the philosophy of putting quality of fruit first has ensured that McWilliam’s continues to be one of Australia’s most popular, respected and iconic wineries.
We believe that good wines are made by people, not corporations. With six consecutive generations of winemakers and over 135 years of experience, the wines we make are more than just quality, award-winning wines. They are wines that tell the story of our family and a century long love affair with winemaking. “
McWilliam’s Family Winemakers
The Hunter Region is the premium wine region of New South Wales and one of Australia’s most well-known, and historically important wine regions. Distinctive styles of Semillon, Chardonnay and Shiraz are the hallmark of this region. James Busby the man credited with bringing the vine to Australia was associated with the Hunter Valley through his brother-in-law William Kelman. Kelman is thought to be the first to plant vines in the Hunter. George Wyndham planted grapes in 1832. Penfolds bought the property in 1904 naming it Wyndham Estate. Dr Henry Lindeman purchased land around Raymond Terrace in the 1830s. So too did James King whose legacy passed onto Maurice O’Shea who came to the forefront of Hunter Valley winemaking in the 1920s. The area fell into depression for many years, but gradually made a comeback in the early 1960s. Today the region is booming. The climate is regarded as warm to hot. The main wine styles: White – Semillon (regarded as one Australia’s greatest and unique wines, with great aging potential), Chardonnay; Red – Shiraz.
A great varietal from Australia, certainly one to experience. The Hunter Valley is premier region for this grape, especially it’s potential to age gracefully – when young expect unique minerally, lemony, crisp style, and with age develop into nutty, honeyed wine with complexity and depth.
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