Three winemakers who stood tall in the 20th century were Maurice O’Shea of Mount Pleasant, Max Schubert of Penfolds, and Colin Preece of Seppelt.
Mount Pleasant has a priceless 3.1ha block of shiraz (known as the Old Hill) planted by Charles King in 1880 and purchased from him by O’Shea’s parents in 1921 as a form of viticultural dowry for their son. Once settled, O’Shea planted an additional 0.74ha of shiraz on the Old Paddock, and 0.58ha of pinot noir on the Old Hill. The pinot noir block is thought to be MV6 (Mother Vine 6). Genetic testing is a relatively recent tool to identify clones, and was a prime source of rootlings for others as plantings thereafter inched their way across the South Eastern corner of Australia.
It was only a small part of O’Shea’s business, and the onset of the Great Depression, coupled with a market utterly dominated by fortified wine, saw O’Shea needing to sell a half share to McWilliam’s in 1932, the other half following in 1942. But O’Shea remained on the job: he was making beautiful wines; I have had the good fortune to have tasted many made by him.
History repeated itself when McWilliam’s recent financial woes led to its sale of all the assets of the Mount Pleasant business to the Medich family, whose roots go back to 1924 when a young Maté Medich migrated to Innisfail, to work in the sugar cane plantations. In the decades that followed the family’s activities have included farming, cinema and hotel operators and property developing. Their extensive biomedical philanthropy has focused on putting an end to childhood cancer, a world-leading clinical care centre due to open in 2025.
In 2006 the family began a far-reaching investment strategy in the Hunter Valley, both in agricultural and residential development companies. It had no previous investment in wine, but wasted no time in seeing the benefits of bringing Mount Pleasant back to a 100% estate-based business, and a great name has been preserved.
2021 Mount Pleasant Mountain D Hunter Valley Full Bodied Dry Red
This starts with a perfumed bouquet, reflecting a 5-day cold soak and 10 days on skins; matured for 12 months in new French barriques and hogsheads, the quality of the dark fruits absorbing the oak, the tannins silky.
97 points, drink to 2055, 14% alc, Screwcap, $80
2022 Mount Pleasant Estate Grown Hunter Valley Semillon
No frills vinification: cool fermented in stainless steel with cultivated yeast. Spent two months on lees before bottling. The fruit profile is the expected lime/lemon flavours, not so much the slinky acidity which makes it very much a now or later proposition – an outright bargain.
95 points, drink to 2037, 11% alc, Screwcap, $25
2021 Mount Pleasant Single Vineyard Old Hill Hunter Valley Pinot Noir
Hand-picked and destemmed, 10% retained as whole bunches; 3-day cold soak, open fermented; 8 days on skins, then matured in French puncheons for 8 months. Excellent colour; the elegant red fruits and superfine tannins dismiss the idea that the Hunter is too hot for high quality pinot noir.
95 points, drink to 2041, 13.5% alc, Screwcap, $55
