A classic wine with a great pedigree. Pale straw-green; still crawling on all fours, so youthful is it; long live the screwcap, although the price comes as a shock after decades of underpricing; lemon citrus and grass still do the talking, with no sign of honey yet which will come with time. From Hunter Valley, NSW; Drink Now-2030 with Caesar salad; $65, Screwcap, 11.5% alc; 95 points & Halliday’s Top 100 Wines for 2010 – The Weekend Australian November 13-14, 2010

Trophy              Tri Nations Wine Challenge 2010, Class 5
Trophy              Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2009, Class 34
Gold                  Royal Adelaide Wine Show 2009, Class 34
Gold                  Royal Queensland Wine Show 2008, Class 26
Gold                  Royal Melbourne Wine Show 2008, Class 33
Gold                  Royal Queensland Wine Show 2010, Class 27

It was with a firm belief in regional definition, single vineyard wines and a thorough understanding of the Hunter Valley landscape the late Maurice O’Shea planted the famed Rosehill and Lovedale Vineyards in the Hunter Valley in 1946. Nearly sixty years on, the exceptional single vineyard Mount Pleasant wine stands as a quintessential expression of its origin, and honours the winemakers with the foresight and skill to make it.

Fruit for this acclaimed wine is sourced entirely from the Lovedale Vineyard, planted by legendary winemaker the late Maurice O’Shea in 1946. Since 1950, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon has stood as a quintessential expression of its origin and has today solidified its place as one of Australia’s benchmark Semillons. As a result of the success and quality of McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon, McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant is now arguably the custodian of the uniquely Australian Hunter Valley Semillon style. What is the McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon style? Restraint, elegance, citrussy characters in youth, complexity and richness with age, and outstanding quality throughout.