Glenguin

Glenguin is one of those wineries that makes you want to get up in the morning and salute the day. Brainchild of Robin Tedder MW. It gives us superior examples of two of Australia's most original wine styles: Hunter Valley Shiraz and Semillon.

On the Shiraz front, Stonybroke leads the way with the principle grape joined by a small amount of Tannat grown just outside the homestead. Tiny cropping levels (1-1.7 tonnes per acre) ensure great concentration.

The Schoolhouse Block Shiraz is co-fermented with a tiny bit of Viognier and is even more deep and complex, while the Aristea is the ultimate expression of Hunter Shiraz. From a block of 42 year old dry grown Shiraz vines planted in ancient weathered red basalt in the heart of Pokolbin, the yield is less than one tonne per acre. That's a helluva lot of flavour to squeeze into the bottle. This wine is monumentally complex and in a blind tasting with the great wines of the Northern Rhone, it certainly holds its own. Semillon is the other principal string to viticulturist Klaus Hahn's bow. Using the original Busby clone (which James Busby brought over to the Hunter in 1832) and organic vineyard practices where possible, this wine is a beautiful, unoaked and lower alcohol example of Australia's most unique white grape. Lots of ripe citrus and mouth-watering acidity - this is a beaut.