The Rosby vineyard is an intriguing one in a Mudgee context. It is on a fairly steep north-facing slope with very old, lean soils perfect for red grape production. It is hidden away in a small valley adds to the mystique of the vineyard. This valley seems to protect the vines against many of the weather extremes such as frost, heatwaves and hail.

The vineyard is also a little higher than most in Mudgee. This would normally suggest a later-than-average vintage however the annual phenological development is a little earlier than most in Mudgee, further adding to the intrigue.
 

I was originally attracted to the Cabernet Sauvignon vines which seemed ideally suited to the soil, however Gerald Norton-Knight convinced me in 2001 to try the fruit from the then very young vines. Shiraz is now proving to be at least the equal of Cabernet.

The fruit from the vineyard is a delight to turn into wine. Because of its ability to ripen early, sugar and flavour ripeness is always excellent. The flavours are very varietal and the tannins are always fine-grained and ideal to make top quality red wine. Perhaps the biggest feature of the fruit from the vineyard is the intense purple colour that oozes out of the grapes immediately after crushing.
 

Despite the youth of the vines each vintage proves to give fruit of consistent high quality and I can't wait to see the fruit after another decade or two of TLC from Gerald and wife Kay. 

As a side note, the 2001 fruit was responsible for much of the 2001 'A Reserve' Shiraz and 'A Reserve' Shiraz Cabernet wines that both won trophies at the 2002 Mudgee Wine Show, the latter receiving the 'Best Wine of the Show' Award.

Tim Stevens

Winemaker/Owner

Abercorn Wine & Huntington Estate

17 August 2004