Located just next door to The Vintry in De Beyers Road, Pokolbin is one of the most historic properties in the Hunter Valley. It is set in a beautiful location, high on the hill, north facing and overlooking the whole of the Hunter Valley.
The property has been owned by Brian Agnew and his family since 2004 and its history goes way back to the Wilkinson family. True pioneers of the Australian winemaking industry.
Despite two earlier ventures in Australia, the Wilkinson family returned after the brothers Frederick and John had studied winemaking in France and Germany. In 1866 the family acquired the present site of the Audrey Wilkinson vineyard in De Beyers Road.
Living in tents, they cleared the land and planted vines which were sourced from the MacArthur Onslow property.
At 15 years of age Audrey Wilkinson assumed the daunting role of running the family’s vineyard after his father had died. Audrey was blessed with a wonderful sense of taste and produced some of the finest wines in Australia.
By the early 1900s, Audrey Wilkinson collected awards around Australia for his Hock, claret and fortified wines. Large quantities were exported to London. He was committed to leading edge technology which, at the end of the 19th century, included open cement fermenters and steam powered crushers and hoppers.
With the vines on the De Beyers Road property planted between the 1970’s and the 1990’s there has been a focus on the Hunter Valley’s strength, Shiraz and Semillon, however there are also plantings of Malbec, Verdelho, Vempranillo, Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon on the site.
The Winemaker’s Selection Shiraz is all Hunter Valley. Dark red in colour with vibrant purple hues. On the nose, floral with violets, dark cherry fruits with rich chocolate and savoury spice. A powerful palate of blackberry and mulberry fruits, with an intense, long flavour and textured palate.
The grapes were picked in February, crushed and cold soaked for 6 days, with one third whole bunch inclusion and then fermented in traditional 2 tonne open pots over 7 days with plunging and tipping 3 times a day. The wine was pressed and put in 100% French, oak to undergo maturation. Select barrels were then blended, filtered and bottled.
It is a wine to enjoy now or cellar up to 10 years.
Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard
Address Oakdale, De Beyers Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320
Telephone 02 4998 7411
Visit Audrey Wilkinson Vineyard Online
