The Auswine Forum

Tasting Note No.27

An old favourite. A single vineyard Hunter Valley wine from two sites, Old Paddock (est.1880) and Old Hill (est.1920). Winemaker Phillip Ryan.
This wine was fermented in American and French oak and matured in the same for 18 months.

Colour dark cherry red. Beautiful cherry, fruits of the forest and developing spicy earth on the nose. Authentic Hunter style. Rich and full palate of velvety cherry and plum fruit. Full bodied with gripping tannins. Very, very young. Slightly bitter oak finish that will disappear in time. Not much pleasure to drink now, it needs 10 years in the cellar. A very good OH&OP, that will mature to become a classic. Excellent concentration of fruit and balance, very well made.
Cost AU $35 which is quite cheap for this unique and lovely wine.

2000 MOUNT PLEASANT Maurice O'Shea Shiraz

What happened here? Did I get a bottle to taste at the cellar door that was open for days?
A huge let down after the OP&OH. This top of the range Shiraz (18 months in oak) had dark cherry red colour, a fruity cherry nose without much complexity and a fairly light to medium body with once again, simple cherry flavours, lacking power and richness of fruit. The tannins were fine but finished short. I noted that in 5 years time this wine may become more concentrated and focused but still, my tasting experience was far from as positive as what Huon Hooke described of the same wine in the Good Weekend (January 10.) He must have tried a better bottle.
Has anyone else tasted this wine? I'm very interested in your experience.
This wine cost AU $35 but I'll wait until I taste it again before I spend my money.

Also tasted but not reviewed in detail:

1997 MOUNT PLEASANT Lovedale Semillon- Marmalade nose, light and very dry body, lacks richness and depth but O.K. with food. Cost AU $42.50
1998 MOUNT PLEASANT Lovedale Semillon- Fuller bodied with better length than the 1997. It's dry with fine acids, will age for a decade. A good wine but not great. AU $42.50
2002 MOUNT PLEASANT Maurice O'Shea Chardonnay- Cool, slightly buttery fruit, fairly simple. Lacks excitement, zest and power. AU $32.

Tasted:January 2004

Attila,

I have to agree with you on the 2000 O'Shea Shiraz. I've tried it on two separate occasions in the last month and I had a very similar experience to yours. It just doesn't seem to have enough intensity or complexity to warrant the rave reviews I've read in the press. A nice wine sure, but not up to the hype.

In the past I've tended to prefer the OP&OH style which usually has more body and depth of flavour.

Cheers, KeithT

2001 OH & OP? The 2000 is only just released surely?

Gary W wrote:2001 OH & OP? The 2000 is only just released surely?

Dear Gary,

Rest assured that the 2001 Old Paddock & Old Hill is for sure released and available at cellar door.

Cheers,
Attila

P.S. The 2000 Old Paddock & Old Hill was not on the Mount Pleasant list and not available for tasting.

Attila - Work wrote:

Gary W wrote:2001 OH & OP? The 2000 is only just released surely?

Dear Gary,

Rest assured that the 2001 Old Paddock & Old Hill is for sure released and available at cellar door.

Cheers,
Attila

P.S. The 2000 Old Paddock & Old Hill was not on the Mount Pleasant list and not available for tasting.

Wonder what happened to the 2000 then. It has gone 1999 to 2001. They must have used all the fruit in the 2000 O'Shea which is a really big bugger because I like the OH&OP style much better.
Thanks
GW

Gary W wrote:

Wonder what happened to the 2000 then. It has gone 1999 to 2001. They must have used all the fruit in the 2000 O'Shea which is a really big bugger because I like the OH&OP style much better.
Thanks
GW

I often find this to be the case - not that I have exactly encyclopaedic knowledge of past vintages of these wines. As a general rule I find the OP&OH (or Old This & Old That as a friend of mine calls it) to be the pick of the bunch - the O'Shea, despite the apparent 'reserve' nature of the wine, rarely lives up to the hype it seems intended to engender - I'm not sure I even prefer it to the Rosehill - the 98 of which i though was a fine example.

cheers,
Graeme

When I saw this post yesterday I thought I have to reply but as I have notes I'll find them first:
Was at Mount Pleasant cellardoor on 29/12/03 (bit over two weeks ago). I should of asked who looked after us at the tasting bar because the face was familiar - nevertheless was told that there was no 2000 OP&OH due to fruit loss due to hail.

I thought the 2000 O'Shea was OUTSTANDING lovely richness balance and length - I don't always agree with HH but no doubt on this one.
01 OP&OH cheesy nose nice Hunter fruit recommended +
99 Rosehill looked flat after the O'Shea wondered if corked assured it wasn't but ???

On the Lovedales 98 was Highly recommended not sure on price but could become outstanding with another few very - great length citus a little toast just beginning to hit its peak
97 more lanoline, fruit not as clean as 98 recommended.

If I could have afforded it I would have bought a case of the O'Shea but we had to make do with 2 bottles.

Same trip tried the Keith Tullock's 92 & 93 Semillions worth looking out for

Also looked at McLeish Estate after Halidays high scoring of their semillons two years in a row. I didn't know what to make of their wines. Despite being made by Andrew Thomas (own brand reds tried same day thought highly recommended+), reds had high residual sugar and apparently aims at the McGuigan market. 02 Semillon better half said acidic, I thought creamy - never had such opposite impressions

Hey Attila,

I'm not sure if it is a long term pattern or not, but it looks to me like these wines are taking turns as to which is the better since 98 (according to the notes presented by JH and others, haven't checked in JO's book.) O'Shea higher in 98 and visa versa for 99. Not having tasted the 99's yet I couldn't really debate this. Maybe the see-saw trend continues for 2001, by-passing 2000 for obvious reasons.
It would be great to try them in a dual vertical, but I have to say that I am a real fan of the OPOH.

best,
simm

The thing is Simm that the 1999 O'Shea for my taste is simply awesome, I love it. The 1998 although no doubt very good, needs time.
Cheers,
Attila