1994 McWilliams Mount Pleasant Museum Release Elizabeth Semillon

Notes sourced from McWilliam’s Wines.

A 100 per cent Semillon sourced primarily from Mount Pleasant’s Lovedale and Middle Creek vineyards, with the balance from a selection of the best and oldest vineyard sites in Pokolbin, in the lower Hunter Valley. The grapes were handpicked in early to mid-February - four weeks after intense heat, which resulted in the disastrous Sydney bushfires. The early hot weather hastened the ripening period, allowing for good sugar and flavour development. Milder conditions during February enabled the fruit to be picked clean and ripe.

After crushing and de-stemming, the must was chilled and the juice drained off. After cold settling for 48 hours, the clear juice was racked, warmed to 15°C and inoculated with a neutral yeast. The wine was then allowed to ferment in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks for a period of 18 days. One month after fermentation, the wine was blended, heat and cold stabilised and sterile filtered. The final wine was bottled in August 1994.

Tasting Notes: Lemon/straw colour with green hues. The straw, lemon and lime flavours are now giving way to lanolin, toast and honey bottle-development characters. On the palate there are lemon, sherbet and honeysuckle flavours combined with lanolin, toast and honey characters derived from bottle maturation. Time in bottle has also created a delicate ‘melt-in-your-mouth’ acid structure. This is an immensely complex wine with great balance and length. This wine offers wonderful drinking now, or can be cellared carefully over the next ten years. Alcohol by Volume: 10.5 %