Exploring what Mudgee can do: Eloquesta Shiraz Petit Verdot 2011

Eloquesta Shiraz Petit Verdot 2011 (Mudgee, NSW)
14.5%, Screwcap, $32

Here’s another charismatic wine from Stuart Olsen, this time a blend of whole bunch Shiraz and Petit Verdot.

Actually, there seems to be a little fiddling happening with Petit Verdot of late, as I tried another intriguing PV from Alex Retief only yesterday.

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Here we see the full kitchen sink of ‘neo-revivalist’ winemaking tinkery at work, with the handpicked grapes foot trodden with whole bunches included in the blend, the wine wild fermented, hand plunged and aged in French, Russian and Hungarian oak for 18 months with no racking.

Great to see someone is ‘having a go’ in Mudgee, and this looks happily alive too.

Bright maroon purple colour, the nose here is wild with whole bunch pepper, prosciutto and purple fruit, which follows onto a quite generous and luscious palate that carries much more flesh than the nose, the sappy tannins contrasting that purple fruit before finishing with an almost peacock tail like lift.

There’s some of that smudgey Mudgee grittiness here, which takes the sweet edge off and makes for a quite tertiary, ultra spicy, style yet still with intrigue, weight and complexity.

This is unconventional and polarising, the nose particularly so, but the quality is sound. Big yes and a round of applause for really exploring what Mudgee can do.

Source: Sample
Tasted: August 2014
Drink: 2014-2024+
Score: 18/20, 93/100
Would I buy it? A few glasses would about do me. It’s just a bit wild for much more, but the style would keep me entertained.
Buy online: Eloquesta website