Funny how you sometimes have to travel in order to find out what’s happening in your own back yard. A few years ago I was given a magnum of Mote Hill Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 1994 by leading Singapore restaurateur and wine trader Michael Hadley. Other than his recommendation, I didn’t have the first clue about the wine, so I kept it for an appropriate event. That event was last night, and I was not the only one present to receive a pleasant surprise. This wine was certainly no shrinking violet. Ripe, opulent aromas of dark berries and sweet oak were followed by a creamy, voluptuous palate packed with thick, juicy dark fruit flavour supported rather sturdily by firm tannins and oak. Frankly the wine is still a pup and needs another five years at least. I rate it a high silver, ie around 17.8 or so. But what was it and where did it come from? Mote Hill is the occasional reserve label from Sevenhill-based Clare maker Stringy Brae, but this wine, all 200 magnums of it, was Coonawarra cabernet. Powerful and concentrated, and worthy of the tag. Stringy Brae only makes around 2200 cases each year, more than half of which it sells through the cellar door. It also exports parcels to Scotland, Manhattan and New Zealand. It also has a very smart website at http://www.stringybrae.com.au that shows off its wine and cottage accommodation rather well. As for Mote Hill, its current release is a Black Knight Shiraz, sourced from Langhorne Creek and Clare, which is blended across a wide range of recent vintages. It costs $58 per bottle. I haven’t tasted it, so no review yet. But some Stringy Brae Riesling is on its way over and I’ll report back soon.
