TN: 2001 Wonganella Shiraz Merlot: 12.5% - Unsurprisingly, the majority of this wine comes from 20 year old vines. The wine appears light-medium bodied, bright red but has excellent intensity. A definite Hunter influence on the nose and palate with tar, earth and charcoal on top of a broad core of seamless, sweet – partly attributed to excellent oak handling, plums, blueberry and red fruits. Soft tannins of a slightly chalky, slightly charcoal nature add to a somewhat silky and long palate with a typical Hunter acidity profile. It could build with short/medium term aging. Rated as Recommended/Highly Recommended, this is by far the best wine from the Port Stephens region I have tasted and possesses its own uniqueness for the wine taster to explore.
It is also worthwhile noting that the Wonganella cellar door is most charming and possesses absolutely spectacular views. If you are driving to Port Stephens, it is well worth the visit. Its driveway is located just a few metres past the larger Port Stephens Winery. From memory, the above wine was less than $20.
After 48 hours in the bottle, the wine has broadened and deepened into a gorgeously seamless sweet and savoury milkshake!
Kind regards,
Adair