TN: Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 2007

[Waiters Friend]

G'day

I've been drinking this label since the late 1980s. Ardent followers of my scribblings (hello to you both) may have seen my long running series of annual tastings of the 1996. However, I have been drinking less and less of these over recent years, as my vinous attention is attracted by new shiny toys, and my white wine tastes head firmly towards oaked chardonnay.

SO, I find myself with the 2007 as the youngest vintage in the cellar. Let's have a look at a 10 year old.

Yellow gold, and clear as a bell. All the things you would expect on the nose - honey(suckle), toast, lemon, lanolin. The palate is cleansing and refreshing, with good acid, relatively complex secondaries, and a reasonable length and aftertaste.

So, why did I not buy any later vintages? It was when I heard they were including about 10% sauvignon blanc and targeting them towards a younger audience. I'm probably down to 2 dozen bottles of various vintages 2007 and older, whereas I used to carry and drink 4 times that. Oh yes, and the price went up by 60%.

Does anyone have any experience with 2008 onwards? And can anyone enlighten me on the addition of SB?

Cheers

Allan

[Mahmoud Ali]

Thanks for continuing to post on the Mount Pleasant Elizabeth, it is one of my regular drops whenever I am in Australia (it isn't imported into Canada as far as I am aware). I am sorry to hear about the addition of sauvignon blanc not to mention the price increase . I should be in Australia in December/January and will probably get an opportrunity to taste one of the newer vintages but I will be opening a few bottles of the 2001 and 2002 Elizabeth that I squirreled away in my inlaws place in Sydney. Hopefully they haven't gone off considering that it is a back room and might suffer from summer temperatures though they now have airconditioning.

As you know I have a few bottles of the '96 Elizabeth that I brought to Canada but they haven't been touched. Before I get to them I plan on opening a 2000 Brokenwook and 2002 Lost Block semillons.

Cheers ............... Mahmoud.

[deejay81]

Thanks for the note Allan,

I think I've had about 60+ bottles of the 07 Elizabeth and would agree to your tasting note. Cellartracker is telling me I'm down to my last 4

From what I believe (I could be wrong) but I think the 2010 has some SB in it.... people didn't like it so they stopped adding SB and is back to 100% Sem... Not sure if it was for 1 year or a couple of years but I have heard they don't add the SB anymore...

As for more recent vintages, I've had the 09 a few times...
My last tasting note for the 09:
Clear, pale gold with hints of green, showing no signs of age.
Slightly sweaty nose upon opening changing to burnt rubber and squeezed mandarin skins.
Clean, medium minus body, not much alcohol. Freshly cut grass with more mandarin peels with hints of lemon. Quite refreshing with enough acid to back everything up. Seems to be in a bit of a transition phase, as it is not completely fresh like a young hunter Sem, but not evolved yet as there didn't seem to be much toast or honey showing through.
Finish was medium. A very easy to drink wine. I'd say hold a few years for some more complexity and evolution. 89pts

[GraemeG]

This is why I dredged up from Cellartracker from me:

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=3810793]2011 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines Elizabeth[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (5/01/2013)
[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=22447]Hunter Wineries (1) - Mt PLeasant & McDonald Rd[/url]: {screwcap, 11%, A$19} Sweaty honey/grass aromas. Medium acidity; light-medium body. Dry, softly textured, and grassy tasting. A bit bland overall. An early drinker I think.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=1784080]2010 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines Elizabeth[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (27/11/2010)
{screwcap, 11.5%} First time I've ever seen Eliizabeth available in the vintage year, but there it was on the label: 2010. And it's a very different style of wine to the traditional Elizabeth - this one is all soft grass and lemon, with diffuse acid on the palate and very little true semillon tanginess. At five years this will be a flabby mess, surely? Nice enough to drink now, I guess; light-bodied, flavoursome enough, with a shortish finish, but that's about all.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=6232788]2009 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines Elizabeth Cellar Aged[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (15/01/2017)
[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=34546]Hunter Valley - 4 Cellar Doors (Hunter Valley)[/url]: {screwcap, 10.5%, A$35} Thick lemon-curd aromas with toast and honey. The palate is dry and grippy, and seems a bit acid-deficient. The once-grassy fruit is aging; it’s light/medium bodied, with a short/medium finish. Very much ready to drink.

[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/note.asp?iWine ... te=2665093]2007 McWilliam's Mount Pleasant Wines Elizabeth[/url] - Australia, New South Wales, Hunter Valley (17/02/2012)
[url=https://www.cellartracker.com/event.asp?iEvent=17242]2012 Sydney Royal Wine Show - Exhibitor's Tasting (Olympic Park, Homebush)[/url]: Bronze medal. {screwcap} Developing aromas of friendly lemon. Tidy palate; medium-high acid, light-medium body; mostly lemon-like flavours but with a little toastiness emerging. Dry, medium-length finish. In the tradition of the 2004 & 2005, and streets ahead of 2010. An obvious buy if it hits the streets around $13.

I know Mount Pleasant have decided to start selling Lovedale when they think it's entering a drinking window, irrespective of what that does to the 'vintage sequence'.
I wouldn't be surprised if they're doing something similar with Elizabeth. It may be with the advent of the screwcap they have so much more of it to sell (as opposed to chucking so much of it out before release) and they're trying to give it a chance of looking its best.
There certainly seems to be plenty of vintage variation evident among more recent releases - or perhaps they're being less selective about the grapes at vintage time...
cheers,
Graeme

[Waiters Friend]

Thanks Graeme

Your Cellartracker information certainly indicates some variation in approach to making Elizabeth in recent years. This is a worry for those of us who cellared and enjoyed the 'traditional' style in maturity.

I'd be interested to hear from anyone else who has recent experience with recent vintages, and / or detailed knowledge of McWilliams' change of approach.

Cheers
Allan