Coolangatta Estate has done it again with its 2009 Semillon, which has been named 'Semillon of the Year' at the Winestate Wine of the Year awards.
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Known as the largest wine awards in the country, about 10,000 wines are put through their paces each year to find the very best Australia has to offer.
Coolangatta Estate vigneron Greg Bishop said it was always a thrill to win major awards.
“We feel proud of what has been achieved over the 30 years we have been producing wine,’ he said.
Mr Bishop described the award winning semillon as a little toasty, with refreshing acid still present to keep the wine tasting fresh, and with a good length to finish.
“The 2009 vintage was one of the best on record, and the wines produced from that vintage reflect the quality of the fruit that was picked,” he said.
“The wine is now nine years old, but in the glass looks more like a three-year-old wine.
“Our semillons are always in the citrus spectrum, which makes them great to enjoy with local seafood.”
Coolangatta Estate had two of their wines place in the top five in the semillon category, and it was the seventh time the winery had taken out the top honour.
Mr Bishop attributed their continued success to a combination of factors.
“Location of the vineyard and everything that involves including climate, soil, aspect and attention to detail in the vineyard, which means a lot of hard work and planning, rigorous grape selection at harvest and a world class winemaking team at Tyrrells who understand the variety,” he explained.
“Great wines are only made using great fruit.”
Despite widespread drought gripping the majority of the state, Mr Bishop said the winery remained unaffected.
“The drought to date has had no major impact on us. We had plenty of water storage for last vintage and this growing season we have had rain fall at the right time, which has supplemented our reduced dam levels,” he said.
“The last rain event last week (110mm) added valuable water to our dams which should see us through to harvest.
“The drought did though contribute to a later than normal budburst, and there is always an increased threat of bird damage as the grapes ripen this season, due to the likelihood of less alternate food sources being available to them.”
