Wine Show Awards 1 Gold, 2 Silver, 9 Bronze Medals
Tarry, earthy nose with a nice projection of plum aromas. More plums on the palate supported by heaps of oak tannins. A long, youthful and elegant wine with years ahead- says Winestate magazine and rates 4 1/2 stars
Has similar elegance to the Ceilidh and a not dissimilar fruit driven profile, showing its extra class through length of palate- James Halliday 94 points
Selected from a small parcel of fruit grown on the original Bimbadgen vineyard, first planted in the late '60s. The Ghillie was matured in both brand new French and American oak barriques for 15 months. The final blend received a light fining of egg whites and one gentle filtration during bottling. The Ghillie may throw a perfectly harmless deposit in the bottle as it matures, hence we would recommend decanting before serving. The Ghillie should reward the cellaring enthusiast with an excellent example of classic aged Hunter Valley Shiraz for a few more years to come.
Wine Show Awards 5 Gold, 6 Silver, 9 Bronze Medals ***** Winestate
Only made in the very best Hunter vintages, it represents the epitome of the Capercaillie philosophy. 100% Hunter Valley Shiraz, the 2006 was selected from Graham Woodward?s Valley View Vineyard first planted in 1972.The Ghillie salutes that cheerful and special group of people found throughout the Highlands of Scotland who hold responsibility for the quality of fishing and its associated leisure pursuits.
Maturation of the wine was completed in new French oak for a period of 18 months before bottling. Purple crimson in colour, a wine still in its relative infancy winding up for a big future. Intense spicy and upfront nose coupled by rich persistent dark fruit characters ensue, think blueberries, blackberries and plums. Lively acidity supports the fruit, which is distinct and quite pure in character. Silky fine tannins along with cedary, spicy oak and dark liquorice and subtle earthy characters complete what is complex red wine.
The 2006 Ghillie has already won a gold medal at the 2007 Hunter Valley Wine Show, two Silver and 7 Bronzes in other NSW wine shows and picked up 4 1/2 stars in Winestate Magazines Best Wines of 2007 (Annual edition 2008) with the comment: A long youthful and elegant wine with years ahead of it.
You could certainly enjoy this wine now but remember, the larger the bottle the longer the cellaring potential so you could lay this one down for another 15 years, if you are really patient!
