Brokenwood
At 40+ years young, Brokenwood Wines, in the heart of the Hunter Valley, can lay claim to not only an iconic vineyard with the Graveyard Vineyard but to the preservation of a wine fraternity that proudly has as its mission statement, ‘to make great wine and have fun’.
The original land that was to become the Cricket Pitch Vineyard was purchased in 1970 and planted immediately to Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. The Graveyard Vineyard, planted to Shiraz in 1968, was bought in 1978 and by the mid-1980s was producing a premium Single Vineyard wine. The first Langton’s Classification of Premium Australian Wine was launched in 1993 and the Graveyard Shiraz was then, and remains, the highest-placed Hunter Valley Shiraz.
The Hunter Valley is renowned for its dry table wines of Semillon and Shiraz. Brokenwood’s production of these is further supported by premium grapes from ‘all the right regions, for all the right reasons’, from the Graveyard Shiraz to the Cricket Pitch Sauvignon Blanc Semillon and Cricket Pitch Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot.
Brokenwood Graveyard Vineyard Shiraz 2013 750mL
Sound fruit and excellent ripeness. Typical mid density colour meaning this is an elegant supple Graveyard Shiraz.
The older, large format French oak integrates perfectly with sweetness and fine tannins. The fruit spectrum for Graveyard Shiraz is about red cherries and almost Pinot-like Campari notes. Medium bodied palate but with ripe tannins and a juicy acidity that will keep the wine in good stead for many years.
Brokenwood Indigo Vineyard Chardonnay 2014 750mL
The Beechworth ‘terroir’ has a distinctive fruit character of pear/peach fruit.
The oak has minimal impact by using older French oak and mainly puncheons.
The warm year has meant less citrus lift but has bran meal notes from the wild ferment and extended lees contact.
The palate is quite rich with zesty acid line through to the finish.
Brokenwood Estate Semillon 2015 750mL
Silver Medals: Hunter Valley Wine Show 2015
Royal Queensland Wine Show 2015
Royal Melbourne Wine Awards 2015
Brokenwood Hunter Valley Shiraz 2014 750mL
Lovely mid density colour, not light or black with purple hues. Dark cherry and now released as a young wine, some noticeble charry oak notes on the aroma.
Brokenwood had the luxury of being highly selective across all its barrels in 2014 and this wine has benefitted greatly from some declassified old vine Graveyard Shiraz in the blend.
Full flavoured and slight Hunter Valley iodine characters and lots of ripe blackberry fruit.
Sweet ripe tannins carry the flavour and bright acid finish. Again oak there but certainly fits the overall structure of the wine.
