The company’s overall win at the Griffith Wine Show (three trophies and six gold medals) and Perth Wine Show (two trophies and ten gold medals) – both announced last night, Thursday September 11 – follows its dominance of the year’s major state and regional wine shows.

In addition to Griffith and Perth, McWilliam’s was awarded Most Successful Exhibitor at the Sydney (in February) and Brisbane and Cowra (in July) wine shows.

The highlights of McWilliam’s recent success was the awarding of two trophies to the single-vineyard Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1998 ($44) and a trophy to the Brand’s of Coonawarra Special Release Merlot 2001 ($31). Both wines are currently-available.

Mount Pleasant Chief Winemaker, Phil Ryan, said it was thrilling to see judges awarding trophies to the current-release Lovedale Semillon at two shows on the one day.

“This is a fantastic result – especially when you consider that, in just 18 months, this same wine has been awarded two trophies and nine gold medals at major Australian wine shows*,” Mr Ryan said.

“And, this wine is just starting to blossom. It has a big future ahead of it – at least ten, and up to fifteen years from the time of release, if stored under appropriate conditions.”

Mr Ryan confirmed that every vintage produced under the Lovedale Semillon label had won multiple trophies and gold medals at major Australian wine shows.

Lovedale’s inaugural 1950 vintage went on to consistently win trophies and medals (19 in total) at major Australian wine shows for some nineteen years, including the ‘Best Wine of Show’ trophy at the 1969 Sydney Wine Show.

Following Lovedale’s debut, the wine was produced in select vintages only until 1995. The most recent six vintages (1984, 86, 95, 96, 97 and 98) have so far rewarded Mount Pleasant a combined medal tally of more than 40 trophies and 85 gold medals.

“Regardless of vintage conditions, every Lovedale produced has been of consistently high quality and capable of rewarding medium to long-term cellaring – in my opinion, the sign of a truly exceptional vineyard,” Mr Ryan said.

Fruit for the Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon is sourced entirely from mature, low-yielding vines more than fifty years old grown on the Lovedale Vineyard, planted by legendary winemaker, the late Maurice O’Shea, in 1946.

Mr Ryan described the 1998 Lovedale as a terrific wine from an outstanding, early-ripening vintage. “I have no doubt this wine will live up to the 1998 reputation, and more. Right now there is a complex array of flavours, including lemon and lime primary fruit balanced by lovely toast and honey characters, the result of five years in bottle”.

The second trophy winner, the Brand’s of Coonawarra Special Release Merlot 2001, was sourced entirely from 30-year-old vines on the celebrated Laira Vineyard in Coonawarra’s terra rossa heartland.

Chief Winemaker Jim Brayne described the 2001 vintage in Coonawarra as having produced robust, full-bodied wines with great intensity and flavour concentration.

“The 2001 Merlot has certainly exceeded our high expectations of the vintage,” Mr Brayne said.

He described the wine as having an exceptionally good structure – smooth, rich and rounded with a fine, silky tannin finish. “The Brand’s Merlot is a truly handcrafted wine, produced in limited quantities and in select vintages only”.

Gold medals for eight current-release wines rounded off an outstanding overall performance for McWilliam’s Wines at this year’s Griffith and Perth wine shows. The wines were:

• McWilliam’s Regional Collection Riverina Tyrian 2001
• McWilliam’s Limited Release Show Reserve Liqueur Muscat ($71)
• Mount Pleasant Lovedale Semillon 1998 (two gold medals, $44)
• Brand’s of Coonawarra Special Release Merlot 2001 ($31)
• Brand’s of Coonawarra Chardonnay 2002 ($19)
• Brand’s of Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 ($24)
• Mount Pleasant Elizabeth Semillon 1999 ($18)
• Barwang Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 ($24)