Six Mudgee wineries have achieved five star ratings in James Halliday’s bestselling Australian Wine Companion for 2013, with Robert Oatley Vineyards earning five red stars, the book’s highest rating.
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Robert Stein Vineyard, Quilty Wines, Lowe Wines, Logan Wines and Huntington Estate have been rated five star wineries, and Robert Oatley Vineyards’ red five-star rating signifies consistent excellence and five-star quality over the last three years.
The red five-star rating is awarded to just 4.9 per cent of more than 1400 wineries profiled in the book.
To earn the honour, a winery must have maintained its five stars for two years and must have at least two wines rated at 94 points (Robert Oatley Vineyards has eight).
“ROV first appeared in his 2008 edition, with three and a half stars, evidence that the gradual, yet rapid improvement in wine quality is due in no small part to the winemaking talents of Larry Cherubino and his team, along with smart vineyard and regional grape sourcing,” said Darren Jahn of Robert Oatley Vineyards.
Winemaker Jacob Stein of Robert Stein Vineyard said it was an impressive result for Mudgee, doubling the number of five-star wineries in the region compared to the 2012 guide.
“A 100 per cent increase would have to be one of the best nationwide,” he said.
He also noted that the great results had been achieved in years of difficult conditions, both in the wine industry and in the Mudgee region’s weather.
The “best of the best” Shiraz list includes a 2009 Huntington Estate Special Reserve Shiraz scored at 96 points out of 100.
“We’ve done it in vintages that haven’t been the easiest to make wine,” he said.
Robert Stein Vineyard’s 95-point Reserve Shiraz, for example, which is still unreleased, was produced in the challenging 2010 season, which Mr Stein said showed what good work was done in the winery.
He said winemakers and wine lovers should not underestimate the significance of James Halliday’s rating, which would draw the attention of wine connoisseurs to the Mudgee wine region.
He said Robert Stein Vineyard’s visitation numbers jumped dramatically as soon as the winery received its first five-star rating in the 2011 edition.
A 2007 Passito from Di Lusso Estate is included in the book’s ‘best of the best’ list of sweet Semillon and other white wines, and Lowe’s 2009 Mudgee Zinfandel, which already holds three trophies, is included on the “best of the best” of other reds.
The “best of the best” Shiraz list includes a 2009 Huntington Estate Special Reserve Shiraz scored at 96 points out of 100, with a 2006 Huntington Estate Signature Tim Stevens Shiraz and 2010 Robert Stein Reserve Shiraz both close behind at 95 points each.
Robert Oatley Vineyards, Robert Stein Winery and Huntington Estate all maintained their five star rating from 2012, while Logan Wines and Lowe Wines rise from a four star rating in 2012 and Quilty Wines from four and a half.
