Monsieur Ouvrard, was also the owner of the Romanée-Conti vineyard. In addition, this vineyard is the originator (via the CSIRO Merbein) of the famous MV6 clone, which is the foundation of many of Australia’s great contemporary pinot noir wines. The Old Hill Vineyard also comprises shiraz plantings that were established by a previous owner, Charles King, in 1880. While the Old Paddock Vineyard is four decades younger, the two neighbouring vineyards comprise some of the oldest surviving pre-phylloxera shiraz vines in Australia. 1958 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant P & OP Hermitage Hunter Valley – New South Wales 4 Medium-deep colour. Attractive redcurrant, apricot, polished leather, wet bitumen, slightly oxidised aromas with a hint of volatility. Slinky- textured and generous with remnants of primary fruits (but mostly tertiary, savoury in taste), loose-knit chalky tannins, very good mid- palate volume, and underlying roasted walnut/toffee notes. A touch past its best, but still drinking well. At the inaugural Maurice O’Shea Award ceremony in 1990, Max Schubert said, ‘Maurice O’Shea did so much to convince us who followed him that it was possible to make an internationally competitive table wine and a lasting one at that’. By 1960, the Penfolds Grange project was back on track. Over the previous three years (1957, 1958, and 1959), chief winemaker Max Schubert had been making Grange in secret. Influential advisors to top management at Penfolds had criticised the style as being port-like and a step too far. From a historical perspective, it had been a collision of generational forces. Max Schubert’s ideas were innovative and advanced, reflecting observations of European practices and the successes of other winemakers, including Maurice O’Shea. While table wine consumption was growing, Penfolds was still predominantly making fortified and sparkling wines at the time. But the success of the 1955 Grange, which appeared on the Australian wine show circuit during 1959, proved that outlooks and opportunities were rapidly progressing in new directions. Underpinned by ground-breaking science, particularly the use of pH meters to monitor wine stability, Max Schubert incorporated traditional winemaking techniques (i.e., submerged cap fermentation) with
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The Vintage Journal – Australian Wine Through 30 Bottles
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