Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Cellar Aged Hunter Valley Semillon 2021
£22.25
The wine
Pale straw yellow with green hints. Intense lemongrass, lime and subtle floral notes.
Elizabeth is released with several years of bottle age already behind it, which is the honest way to sell Hunter Semillon: young it is austere, and the appeal only arrives with time. The Hunter Valley is Australia oldest wine region and one of the least likely: it is hot, humid and rains at harvest. What survives that is Semillon picked early at low alcohol, which ages for decades into something extraordinary, and a medium-bodied, earthy style of Shiraz found nowhere else.
The producer
Mount Pleasant
View all Mount Pleasant winesMount Pleasant is one of Australia's most historic and revered wineries, established in the Hunter Valley and forever associated with the legendary winemaker Maurice O'Shea. For a century it has set the standard for Hunter Semillon and Shiraz, treasured by collectors across the country.
The estate farms some of the Hunter's oldest and most famous vineyards, including Lovedale, Rosehill and the Old Paddock and Old Hill blocks, some planted well over a century ago. Traditional, patient winemaking and generous bottle age before release are hallmarks of the house.
The range is built on two iconic grapes. The Lovedale and cellar-aged Elizabeth Semillons are among Australia's greatest whites, while the single-vineyard Shirazes and the flagship Maurice O'Shea show the medium-bodied, ageless style that defines the Hunter. A rare Mothervine Pinot Noir adds intrigue.
Distinctive, long-lived and utterly Australian, Mount Pleasant's wines are living history. They offer a taste of the Hunter Valley at its most classic and profound.
