Symphony Hill Reserve Petit Verdot 2012

Review of Wine:

Can say I'm quite a fan of Symphony Hill Wines as they are my favourite local boutique winery. Have always enjoyed shiraz wines and being a Petit Verdot has many similarities. The wine is very smooth once opening and breathing for 5-10 minutes. I would happily drink this wine day in day out but at the retail price feel it is a little over priced but as I receive is as part of a wine membership it works out to be $25 a bottle which I feel is very good value. The only other reason I can see why James Halliday would have only scored this a 92 is because their doesn't seem to be a lot of complexity to the wine. 

Wine Region: Granite Belt, Queensland Australia

Drink Until: Drink until 2027

Varieties: Petit Verdot

Food: I enjoyed this wine by itself and also with a vegetarian pasta.

Colour: A dark deep red with a purple tinge.

Nose: Explosive aromas of violets and loganberries are delightfully backed with a hint of licorice.

Palate: The palate delivers rich, ripe flavours of blueberry and blackberry wrapped in fine silky tannins and a juicy mouth filling finish.

Background:

Symphony Hill Wines is a group of family and friends bonded together on the quest to make world class wines and to never stop learning. We are a company that wholeheartedly believes in the mind blowing potential of wines grown and made on the Granite Belt. The Granite Belt is the promised land of viticulture with altitudes ranging from 600m to 1000m – all within the one region. As a result climatic conditions vary tremendously allowing all sorts of varieties to excel depending on which altitude they are planted. As an example, our own vineyard is the highest of the region allowing our flagship wine, Reserve Shiraz, to produce a style of wine that is unique in Australia and totally different to Shiraz grown at lower altitudes. Our Cabernet Sauvignon is harvested in early May which is one month later than Cabernet harvested in Clare Valley, showing how cool our climate is in comparison to other wine regions.

Awards:

GOLD MEDAL 2015 Royal Queensland Wine Show

Wine Rating: 92 (James Halliday) 

Alcohol: 14.5%

Price: $65.00 AUD but being sold to wine club members for $45.50 AUD (30% Discount)

Where to Purchase:

This is my personal favourite winery in the Granite Belt of Queensland as have been a wine club member for several years and have visited the winery many times over the years. Is available from independent liquor stores in south east Queensland or directly from the Symphony Hill website.

Symphony Hill Wines White Serenade 2008

Review of Wine:

Symphony Hill Wines are unknown to most but on my first trip out to the Granite Belt I stopped in at a local bottle shop and decided to look at their local selection of wines. I happened to pick up a bottle from Symphony which I really enjoyed that night. Since then I have enjoyed quite a few bottles and always enjoy the chance to stop in at their cellar door for a tasting. Now my partner isn’t much of a red wine drinker like I am so she prefers to enjoy a white wine which is a little sweeter but this can be hard to find as some are just too sweet. On opening this bottle it has a lovely aroma to it and is nice and smooth to drink. The wine also has a lovely balance of sweetness which pleased my partner and myself which is hard to achieve in a sweeter wine.

Wine Region: Granite Belt, Queensland Australia

Drink Until: 2012

Varieties: N/A

Food: N/A

Colour: N/A

Nose: N/A

Palate:

A German style medium sweet wine. A bunch of flowers sprinkled with honey! Beautiful spices and floral notes fill the mouth. Gorgeous with desserts, cheese platters and curries or sipped while enjoying a bubble bath!

Background:

Symphony Hill Wines is a family-owned boutique winery located in the cool climate Ballandean highlands of Queensland's Granite Belt. Ewen and Elissa Macpherson bought the old table grape and orchard property in 1996 after falling in love with the area and its potential for premium wine production, and in partnership with Ewen's parents Bob and Jill Macpherson have developed the vineyard to its present high standard. Symphony Hill Wines is a family focussed venture with, at one stage, four generations of the family living on the property. Ewen's parents, Bob and Jill Macpherson, moved from the Sunshine Coast and are now living on the vineyard enjoying an idyllic retirement. Ewen has completed his Bachelor of Applied Science in Viticulture and found the information gained in his studies invaluable in establishing the vineyard to produce ultra-premium quality from the first vintage. Ewen is Managing Director and focuses his efforts on distribution of their divine wines to top restaurants. Elissa is Marketing Director and is responsible for label design, cellar door presentation and overall promotional activities. Their children, James (9), Hamish (6) and Zara (3) are responsible for making their parents' tasks even more challenging! Symphony Hill's winemaker and vineyard manager, Mike Hayes, has also studied Viticulture and is a third generation viticulturalist in the Granite Belt area. His links with the property go back to his childhood where he had his first kiss on the property's tennis court! Mike's proudest achievement to date is making our 2003 Reserve Shiraz which became Queensland's first ever gold medal winner at the 2005 Sydney Royal Wine Show. Symphony Hill specialises in high quality wines made from Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Verdelho, Chardonnay and Viognier grapes proudly grown on the estate.

Alcohol: 13%

Where to Purchase:

This was purchased directly from Symphony Hill Wines directly which is out at Stanthorpe for around $15 a bottle. Can also be purchased online from there website and a few select bottle shops around Brisbane seem to stock them.