What I'm Drinking...

1998 Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill

Publish Date: 06 Apr 2011

A glorious bottle of 1998 Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill a couple of nights ago. The Old Paddock was planted in the 1920s, the Old Hill in the 1880s. It's not entirely surprising that, in the days when claret and burgundy appeared on many wine labels, Hunter Shiraz was generally shown Burgundy (style) wines. The OP&OH has the same silky texture of a burgundy reaching maturity, a fragrantly complex bouquet picking up notes of earth, leather and forest as well as dark fruits. The heavy crust adhering to the length of the sides of the bottle was no particular surprise, but the 14% alcohol was. There was absolutely no sign of over-ripe fruit or alcohol-induced warmth. Instead, there was an overarching feeling of freshness. Slow-cooked lamb shanks.

Authored by: James Halliday

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