In June 2018 I went on a trip to Japan with Richie and some great industry mates (they are on the label) - we stayed around Shibuya and there were some melting moments - Richie has created a third, special wine, that chronicles our adventures...and is, I dare say, the perfect Meltdown wine.
Fermented with indigenous yeasts this hand harvested Hunter Semillon is made without the use of additions or added preservatives. It has been bottled without the use of filtering, fining agents or stabilization. The wine was produced without any sulfur.
This third release is a tighter and brighter incarnation - it is saline and briny, like a young Jura Savagnin, clear and pure it is the perfect pick me up - this third effort is definitely the best and most serious release (pardon the pun)
The Hunter Valley is the oldest wine region in Australia. It was the first wine region to be planted, back in the early 19th century, with cuttings brought back from Europe by James Busby. Amongst those cuttings, six were of Syrah taken from the Rhône Valley… in Australia we call it Shiraz.
Richard purchased the winery buildings and land in 2008 and works with five local growers very closely to ensure that his access to top grade fruit is direct and pays the premium required for this to be effective.
Following crushing the wines undergo fermentation using indigenous yeasts and are not adjusted in any way; they are then matured for six to nine months in a mix of newer and older barrels and hogsheads before being bottled on the estate unfiltered.