Few wine regions epitomise the notion of a quintessentially Australian wine growing and making the way that Mudgee does. Entirely surrounded by hills on the inland side of the Great Divide, it’s warm and atmospheric. Dangerously dry, as an erratic spell of recent vintages has shown, it’s precariously dependent on irrigation. Established for nearly a century and a half, it’s rooted in the Australian red wine traditions of cabernet sauvignon and shiraz, but in other ways has shown innovation and taken risk. Some of Australia’s finest red wines from red Italian varieties are made by Montrose, Botobolar was one of the country’s first truly organic growers and makers, while Mudgee’s own appellation control system was implemented decades before the current national system of regional identification and labelling. A quiet, calm place, Mudgee is hardly over-run by people. Once you’re standing in the centre of some of the larger plantings established by Orlando Wyndham or Rosemount, you’ll experience an eerie sort of peacefulness that pleasingly marries the quiet of the Australian bush with the still and charming nobility that viticulture contributes to a landscape. It was surely a major influence on the writings of one of Australia’s most celebrated bush poets, Henry Lawson, who spent his childhood there. You couldn’t visit Mudgee and expect its wines to be delicate and ethereal. And they’re not. Robust, earthy, chocolatey reds typified by those of Huntington Estate, Miramar and Thistle Hill demand cellaring for a decade or more. Its chalky, melon-like semillons are usually rounder and softer than those of the Hunter Valley, while its chardonnays are forward and ripe, with fresh citrus and tobaccoey flavours framed by soft acids. A challenging run of recent vintages has slightly dulled the reputation of Mudgee’s highest-rated red, Rosemount’s Mountain Blue. A small amount of cabernet sauvignon (about ten percent) from the Hill of Gold vineyard adds lift, vitality and backbone to the dense berry fruit qualities produced by the Mountain Blue site’s thick, sinewy 50 year-old vines. Its deep red soils and mean yields help fashion a long, clear red blend whose attractively spicy dark cherry and raspberry flavours are supported by a firm but assertive extract of fine tannins. Its slightly sour-edged acids and flavours can be strangely suggestive of top-notch Chianti. Each of the vintages between 1994 and 1998 are very worthy wines. The Montrose duo of Sangiovese and Barbera are consistently spicy, vibrantly fruited and savoury expressions of their variety. Its Black Shiraz consistently offers excellent value, while from the same cellar the Stony Creek Chardonnay is typically smooth and creamy, with juicy flavours and refreshing acids. Abercorn is making every effort to create finer, more reserved and complex wines under its ‘A Reserve’ label, while Andrew Harris makes a ripe, round and chocolatey merlot. Orlando Wyndham, by some margin the largest vineyard owner in the region, is striving to lift the quality of its Poet’s Corner Henry Lawson range, finding most success with a round and complex Chardonnay, plus a leaner and finer Semillon. Mudgee’s wine people would be affronted by any suggestion that they were pursuing wine fads or fashion. There’s not even much that is vaguely contemporary about Mudgee wine. But don’t believe for an instant that you shouldn’t experience its unique charm, richness and character, each of which is considerably more than skin deep.
