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Ambar Hill Tasting Notes
The vineyard is on Mt Stirling Road, Glen Aplin, south of Stanthorpe in Queensland’s Granite Belt.
The winery is high on the New England Tablelands and at 1000 metres is a cool climate producer. A hot summer and cool nights produce a long growing season with ripe, cool climate flavours.
The soil is well drained decomposed granite and is watered by springs from the granite hills.
Ambar Hill has a good reputation as a producer with every wine released having won medals at shows over many years.
Ambar Hill grows:
2009 Vintage We had devastating hail storms on Christmas day. As fruit was lost or damaged we have made only a Cabernet. However, the year was then superb, producing outstanding fruit from what was left.
Cabernet 2009 The fruit was superb and we have over 1,000 litres of very rich full flavoured wine. It is going into a mix of American and French oak and will not be released until 2011.
2008 Vintage Shiraz 2008 Very late harvest, very high baume. It was fermented in a mixture of French and American oak. The fruit was outstanding and the use of good oak should produce another great wine. Some selected barrels were bottled as a reserve shiraz.
Chardonnay 2008 In 2008 we produced our first chardonnay as a single varietal. We strongly believe that the Granite Belt is capable of producing some of Australia’s best chardonnays. The grapes were excellent, hand picked and sorted. The wine was fermented in new French oak barrels and has just been bottled.
2007 Vintage
Chardonnay Verdelho 2007 A blend of equal quantities of Chardonnay and Verdelho. This is the first year they were picked separately, with the Verdelho picked 2 weeks later than the Chardonnay. They were fermented separately and blended after the first ferment. This wine is much lower alcohol content than previous vintages reflecting an earlier vintage and the effects of frost at flowering. This was a smaller vintage but the wine is elegant with strong fruit flavour and some austerity. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Bronze Australian Small Winemakers Class 18 2008 Bronze New England Wine Show 2008 Bronze Cowra Wine Show 2009 Class 76 Bronze
Shiraz 2007 Again a very late harvest. The wine has just been bottled. We are letting it settle before release.
New England Wine Show 2008 Bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2008 Bronze
The Samuel Bailey 2007 A reduced crop was effected by both the extremely cold start to the season with snow and frosts in November, then stressed by the drought. However, it has produced intense flavours. The wine was fermented in new French and American oak barrels purchased specially for this premium wine. It has just been bottled. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2009 Bronze Australian Small Winemakers Class 44 2008 Bronze New England Wine Show 2008 Silver Cowra Wine Show 2009 Class 76 Bronze
Stirling Mountain Vintage 2007 Fortified Shiraz We picked a small quantity of very ripe shiraz late in May for a vintage fortified shiraz. It is outstanding as is about to be bottled for release over the next 2 decades.
2006 Vintage
Chardonnay Verdelho 2006 A blend of equal quantities of Chardonnay and Verdelho picked and fermented together. The 2006 vintage is a little drier in finish than the previous vintage and perhaps even more elegant. Awards: Australian Small Wine Makers 2006 Silver Queensland Wine Awards 2006 Bronze Cairns Wine Show 2007 Bronze Australian Small Wine Makers 2007 Silver Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Bronze New England Wine Show 2008 Best of Class Queensland Wine Awards 2008 Bronze Sold Out
Shiraz 2006 Picked very late - on 17 April – perhaps one of the latest Shiraz pickings in Australia. It has again produced a cool climate wine but bigger flavoured wine than 2005 with a rich finish. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Bronze
The Samuel Bailey 2006 The first of our Cabernet Sauvignon/ Merlot. Good colour, nose and palate that needs more bottle age. Quite tannic finish that will soften with time. Not released
2005 Vintage
Chardonnay Verdelho 2005 A blend of equal quantities of Chardonnay and Verdelho picked and fermented together. Verdelho is a Portugese variety that is producing outstanding fruit driven wines in the Granite Belt. The wine was fermented dry, but has very good fruit flavours. The wine has passionfruit and pineapple nose typical of chardonnay and Verdelho. Awards: Australian Small Wine Makers 2005 bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2005 bronze Australian Small Wine Makers 2006 bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2006 bronze Sold out.
Shiraz 2005 Extremely elegant cool climate shiraz with great fruit flavours and over all balance. Described by wine writer Tony Harper as having “a seamless, plush texture..” and “irritatingly” cheap at $17. Brisbane news praised it’s “Rhone like qualities” The only Queensland wine in Courier Mail’s list of best Australian wine for including in a wine cellar. We agree – try cellaring for up to five years and we will advise if it needs to be consumed. Listed on many Queensland restaurant and hotel wine lists. Awards Queensland Wine Awards 2007 Silver Royal Agricultural Society of Qld 2009 Class 10 Bronze Queensland Wine Awards 2009 Silver
2004 Vintage
Shiraz 2004 Excellent colour, and the nose shows typical shiraz flavours. It was fermented in stainless steel to keep the fruit flavours and was aged in French oak barrels for 18 months. It has a good oak fruit balance. Screw closure. Awards Best mature red at New England Wine Show 2006 Sold out
Non-Vintage Fortified Shiraz In 2005 and again in 2007 small amounts of Shiraz were left to dry and ripen on the vines. Picking in both years was in early May with the first frosts. The wines were fortified with brandy and are now aging for release at a suitable time in years to come. Not yet released
Vinegar Ambar Hill produces vintage red wine vinegar now available in delicatessens and used in many leading Queensland restaurants. It is aged for over 5 years in barrels and is made from the pressings of our premium wine.
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