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Tasting Notes: In our minds this is new release is on par with the 2005. It looks like a young Rhone red with its spicy fruit and savoury edges. It has a lovely sweet perfume of raspberry and vanilla and a palate that has plenty of spice and red berry fruit, and a lengthy finish.
The 2007 vintage was a very good one for the property with no water shortages and frosts. The wine spent 12 months in 100% American oak.

Background Information: In the August issue of the Wine Business Monthly the magazine was dedicated entirely to Shiraz. Nick Stock and Tyson Stelzer tasted many hundreds of wines, including the ultra- premium Shirazes lined up at the International Shiraz Alliance in June, and then selected 100 of the best. While the Mike Press Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2007 did not score the highest points it was awarded ‘the best value Shiraz available’. They wrote “the Mike Press has redefined value for money in Australia”.

Five years ago we were selling a range of cleanskin Adelaide Hills reds (Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinot Noir) through our Prahran Market store. They were priced at around $9.00 a bottle and we were claiming they were from a well known and respected winemaker, with fruit off his own vineyard. We had an arrangement where he would make us these wines and we would not mention his name to promote them. The wines were simply stunning for the price and the allocated stock never really lasted long on our shelves.

Back then it worked well for the winery to sell off most of the estate fruit and make a small amount for us, to sell as a cleanskin. Things changed however when Mike Press winemaker / owner decided to enter two of these wines, the 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon & 2005 Shiraz into the Melbourne Wine Show, To his surprise low and behold they both won gold medals in their respective Jimmy Watson Classes. Five wines were short listed for a taste off to win the coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy in that year, including Mike’s two. Bare in mid these wines were destined for 6J’s to be sold as cleanskins.

As it ends up Mike did not win the Trophy but the show success made him think that he should start selling some of the 2005 and starting 2006 all of the wines, under his own Mike Press brand. So we did receive some, but not all of the 2005 we hoped for and what was a loss for us (not receiving cleanskins after the 2005 vintage) has been a complete success for this industry veteran. At least we can say we helped build a modern legend.

Many were wondering was the success at the Royal Melbourne Show a fluke or was there really something special about these wines? Well their answer came fast and swift in the form of the 2006 Adelaide Hills Wine Show. Mike submitted his 2005 Merlot, 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and 2005 Shiraz. Not only did all three wines win gold medals, but all three topped their classes. This success was unprecedented and Mike became talk of the town and Mike Press Wines were well and truly put on the map.

So here we are now in 2008 and the 2005 Merlot is still current whilst the Cabernet Sauvignon has moved onto 2006 and the 2007 Shiraz has just been released.

Vintage: 2007

State: South Australia

Country: Australia

Alcohol Content: 14%

Standard Drinks: 8.4

Preservatives: 220 added

Bottle Top: Screwcap

Bottle Size: 750ml

Red/White Wine: Red