AUSTRALIAN FAMILY NAMED ‘2010/11 WINERY OF THE YEAR'
Sixth generation family winery, McWilliam's, has been named Winery of the Year by respected wine critics and authors Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh in their just released 2010/11 Big Red Wine Book.
Sixth generation family winery, McWilliam’s, has been named Winery of the Year by respected wine critics and authors Campbell Mattinson and Gary Walsh in their just released 2010/11 Big Red Wine Book. In a further showing of the strength of McWilliam’s, the 2007 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz has been named Shiraz of the Year.
In awarding McWilliam’s Winery of the Year, the authors wrote:
“It’s the award we deliberate over the most. We’re not looking for a one-trick pony; we want a winery that offers it all ... the 2007 releases (Maurice O’Shea Shiraz, 97pts, OP & OH Shiraz, 95pts, Rosehill Shiraz, 94pts) stopped us in our tracks. They are outstanding wines ... the sensational value of the Hanwood Estate reds, the epic 1877 Cabernet Shiraz ... you can only conclude that McWilliam’s is a winery firing on all cylinders."
The accolade follows McWilliam’s recently becoming one of 15 inaugural members of influential UK wine critic Matthew Jukes’ Hall of Fame. To receive the accolade, wineries needed to have featured in every one of Matthew’s 100 Best Australian Wines list since the initiative’s inception in 2004.
McWilliam’s Production Director, Jim Brayne said, “This success is a celebration of more than 130 years of unending commitment to quality, as well as the depth of our vineyards, some dating back to 1880, and the dynamic team behind the wines.”
In naming the 2007 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Maurice O’Shea Shiraz as Shiraz of the Year, Mattinson and Walsh described the wine as “a great gift to the wine loving community.”
Other highlights within the 2010/11 Big Red Wine Book include:
- 2005 McWilliam’s 1877 Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz, 95 points “Outstanding”
- 2007 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz, 95 points “Will age in lovely style”
- 2007 McWilliam’s Mount Pleasant Rosehill Shiraz, 94 points “An easy wine to recommend, because it’s earthern and regional and delicious”
- 2008 McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Merlot, 90 points “Some praise indeed.”
- 2008 McWilliam’s Hanwood Estate Cabernet Sauvignon, 89 points “Ripper wine at the price.”
