Hel Family Reserve Wine is back One of the wines in the pack worth a special mention is the 2008 Hel Family Reserve Shiraz. Made by Andrew Thomas especially for us. The fruit is sourced off the Sweetwater Ridge vineyard in Pokolbin. This particular block is consistently producing some of the best shiraz in the region. With only 250 cases made and selling for $20 a bottle (members only), its arguably one of the best value for money reds in the valley. All up, we hope you have as much enjoyment with your wines as we did putting your pack together. Happy Easter to all, Cellar Door Team.

Vintage 2011...

Imbibe Easter A P R I L 2 0 1 1 . V O L U M E 8 V I N T A G E 2 0 1 1

Our 2011 Vintage harvest is now complete. Steady rain from mid December through to January and showing no signs of letting up, started to scare not just a few wine makers (the disastrous 2008 vintage revisited). However...just in time the sky cleared (a few more days of rain would have hurt us badly, it was that close) and we able to harvest the fruit without any more rain. An 8 out of 10 on the harvest quality scale! so our 2011 lighter bodied Semillons and Verdelho

should be out in May.

Terry.

Remember,

Don't wake up in the morning with a

hangover

Always wait till the

afternoon...

The Hunter Resort Pty Ltd

ABN 89003384307

Hermitage Road

Pokolbin NSW 2320

P: 02 49987777

F: 02 49987787

wines@HunterResort.com.au

www.huntervalley.com.au

Wh

ites

San Martino Semillon 2010

The 35 year old vines from the

Cornerstone Vineyard in Pokolbin,

Only crop 1 tonne to the acre. It

displays intense citrus flavours and

great flavour ripeness and good acid.

Enjoy now with a crisp seafood salad.

Or within the next decade.

Polin & Polin Tudor

Chardonnay 2009

This Wine is coming into its own

now. The acid is starting to soften

and the soft, creamy, buttery

characters are starting to come

through. Soft oak and melon on

the pallet is now showing as well.

I drank heaps of it one day with a

Chicken Caesar and some good

company. No headaches the next

day either!

David Hook Pinot Grigio 2010

This wine has a slightly sweet

aroma of melon and tangerines with

a touch of spice and flint. The

flavour is distinctive, complex,

crisp and lively. Also a good balance

of fruit and acidity. Drink now or

later on tonight.

Maquariedale Verdelho 2010

Briar Ridge Gewrztraminer 2010

The fruit for this wine is sourced

from the sandy loam flats in the

Lower Hunter. It displays the classic

varietal character of rose petal,

lychees and Turkish delight. Drink

within 2 years.

Our Verdelho ripened early in

2008, so it had the chance to

develop some complex fruit

characters, before the rain hit. It

also has good acid, which will

give it another 3 years in the

cellar. This dry, fruity white goes

well with anything thats spicy

and has a bit of heat to it.

Andrew Thomas SBS 2010 Sauvignon Blanc /Semillon

The Sauvignon Blanc gives this

wine a lovely passionfruit hit, on

the nose and also the palette.

The Semillon then gives the wine

some backbone and acid

structure that gives the wine few

more years in the cellar. Drink

now or the next 3 years

Red

s

Crisford Wines. Cabernet franc, Petit Verdot and Merlot 2007.

Three of the varietals used in the

great wines of Bordeaux. Made from

low yielding vines in the lower

Hunter. The blend of these varietals

gives the wine an added complexity

and soft tannins. Drinking beautifully

nowbut it still has another 4-5 years

aging potential.

Macquariedale Cabernet 2009. Organic & Biodynamic.

A great full bodied red from

Macquariedale. With blackcurrant on

the nose and soft integrated tannin

structure. Matured in oak for 20

months prior to bottling. Excellent

drinking for the next 8 years. Great

with strong cheeses or any hearty

beef or lamb dish. No fining agents

used.

Hel Family Reserve Shiraz 2008

From the Sweetwater Ridge

Vineyard, Pokolbin. Great balance of

fruit, oak and tannin. Weve put two

bottles in the pack for those with the

willpower to be able to keep one for

another 4 or 5 years...but if you like

it now, by all means go for it. Great

with a B.B.Q.

Polin & Polin Rooks Rose

This purpose made ros was left on

skins for 24 hours before being cold

fermented for an extended period

giving it a beautiful mouthfeel and

balance. Colour: Salmon; Nose:

Aromas of strawberries and guava

with white pepper; Palate: Light,

crisp and refreshing sweet berry

fruits through to the finish.

San Martino 2009 Shiraz

The 2009 harvest produced low

yields of very concentrated fruit.

This was due to very little rain and

even temperatures during the

ripening period of that particular

vintage. This wine has licorice and

chocolate on the nose, while on the

palette, it shows a hint of black

pepper, giving the wine some

complexity. Drink now or cellar for

a decade.

Polin and Polin - 2007 Convicts and Catholics Shiraz

2007 was another great vintage for

the Convicts & Catholics Shiraz. This

is a contrasting style of Shiraz with a

medium bodied and fruit driven

palate which retains the unique

Hunter Shiraz character. Enjoy the

nose of red berries supported with

cigar box and leather nuances while

the palate has a smooth finish and

fine tannins. Cellaring: 5 10 years.

Three thousand years ago, the Minoans from Crete and the

Greeks on the nearby mainland drank crazy cocktails of

wine, mead and beer.

Ancient pottery has given us the clue as to what they raised

their glasses with. Scientists have now analysed the dried-

out remnants of various liquids that soaked into the tiny

pores of their pottery. Tartaric acid (cream of tatar) is

abundant in grapes, and so it appeared in the pores.

Chemicals present in honey and beeswax tell us they drank

mead. Beerstone (Calcium oxalate) tells us they drank beer.

But how do we know they mixed their drinks together, as

opposed to having the different drinks one after the other in

the same cup? Because so many pottery cups have the same

chemicals in the same ratio. King Midas (the guy who loved

gold) also loved a cocktail. Scientists think they have found

his tomb at Gordian in central Turkey. This is the oldest

known intact wooden structure in the world, some 2700

years old. A male body some 65-70 years old, was laid out

in state on a thick pile of dyed textiles in a unique log

coffin Its thought to be King Midas because of the size of

the earth mound that covered the tomb, and the Assyrian

inscriptions. It also contained the most comprehensive Iron

Age drinking set ever found consisting of over 100 bowls and

many bronze mixing and serving vessels.

And what did they mix? Wine, beer & mead.

Why did they do this? Because beer is low in alcohol, they

added wine to give it more kick! Wine was also often

vinegary back then so mead was added to make it sweeter!

Cheers,

Nathan.

Useless info on Ancient Wine Cocktails ...

For reservations, please go to www.huntervalley.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

For reservations, please go to www.huntervalley.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

For reservations, please go to www.huntervalley.com.au or call one of our friendly reservation team on 02 49987777 Remember to mention you are an Imbibe Member to receive

your special 10% discount on the above packages...

Surname/s: ..First Name/s: . Delivery Address: . Suburb: State: Post Code: .. Phone(M): .Phone(h): . Phone (W): ..Fax: . E-mail: ............ Member number.. Delivery Instructions.. Payment Details. Cheque Amex Visa Mastercard Number: _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ _ Exp:_ _ _ _ Cvv number:............ Name on card:

Signature:

WINE Members price under a dozen

MEMBERS PRICE on 12 bottles or more

QUANTITY

San Martino Semillon 2010 $17.10 $15.20

David Hook Pinot Grigio 2010 $18.00 $16.20

Polin & Polin John Rooks Rose 2009 $19.00 $17.00

Briar Ridge (Hunter) Gewrztraminer 2010 $20.00 $17.90

Macquariedale Verdelho 2010 $22.90 $20.50

Peacock Hill Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc $22.90 $20.50

Polin & Polin Tudor Chardonnay $23.40 $20.80

Crisford (Traditional Bordeaux Style) 2007 $21.60 $19.20

Hele Family Shiraz 2008 $22.20 $19.80

Macquariedale Organic Merlot 2009 $26.00 $22.40

Convicts & Catholics Shiraz 2007 $26.00 $22.40

Mt Broke Shiraz 2007 (Gold Medal) $33.90 $30.40

Thomas limited 2004 Braemore Semillon $32.40 $28.80

Tyrrells Lunatiq Shiraz 2009 $45.90 $41.00

Thomas Kiss Shiraz 09 (Available May 2011) TBA TBA

Blue tongue cartons $48.00 $48.00

Delivery Australia wide $18.00

Total

Need more wine visit us online or Please go online and order from our website at www.huntervalley.com.au. Alternatively,

please use the order form below and either send it to us by fax to 02 4998 7787 or by post to Hunter Resort, Hermitage Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320. Or just give us a call at the Cellar Door

and we will assist you over the phone! 02 4998 7777. Thank you.