Mount Pleasant shiraz wins Best in Show at 2018 NSW Wine Awards

Mount Pleasant Wines has won Best in Show for its iconic Old Paddock & Old Hill Shiraz at the 2018 NSW Wine Awards.

The wine also took out the Finlaysons Trophy for Best Shiraz and the CCL Trophy for Best Dry Red.

It's been a fantastic show season for newly appointed Chief Winemaker Adrian Sparks with the winery already receiving eight trophies for their 2017 vintage wines. 

Sparks said he was elated with the results and believes it reflects the great team at Mount Pleasant and the beautiful region the winery calls home.

“These results reflect a wonderful group of people who have dedicated so much of their time to Mount Pleasant,” he said.

“Great vineyards are the first step in making great wines and we are fortunate to be the custodians of some of Australia’s finest. 2017 was a great year for both the Hunter Valley and for Mount Pleasant, and we have delivered wines that offer a great insight to that special, pristine moment in time,” Sparks continued.

The Mount Pleasant portfolio has continued to evolve under the precise hand of Adrian and previous Chief Winemaker and now Group Winemaker Jim Chatto. Both have both been integral in developing the style of the wines to pay homage to Mount Pleasant founder and icon of the Australian wine industry, Maurice O’ Shea.

“This wine’s [OP & OH Shiraz] history goes all the way back to Maurice O’Shea, and, we hope, he would be as thrilled as we are to see what he started is thriving and being acknowledged with wonderful honours such as NSW Wine of the Year,” Sparks said.

Chair of Judges for the 2018 NSW Wine Awards Dave Brookes was particularly impressed by the regional character and elegance of the wine commenting “a wine of impeccable pedigree, purity and balance and one that highlights what the Hunter Valley does best – medium bodied, savoury red wines that are approachable and delicious in their youth yet have everything that is needed for a noble life in the cellar with spectacular results.”

These results are a continuation of a great show season so far for the team with five trophies being won at this year's Hunter Valley Wine Show by the 2017 1880 Vines Old Hill Shiraz including the Alexander Munro Trophy for Best One Year Old Shiraz; Drayton’s Family Trophy for Best Named Vineyard Red; Len Evans Trophy for Best Named Vineyard Wine; Hector Tulloch Memorial Trophy for Best Shiraz; and Doug Seabrook Memorial Trophy for Best Red Wine of Show.

The 2017 red wine selection from Mount Pleasant are available for purchase now from fine wine retailers, cellar door and online with their Block Range becoming available on October 20, 2018.