September 2000 Volume 81 Number 9 "serving the protectors"
At The Cellar Door
By Mark Altmann

Simon Hackett Wines sits on a small hill in the Southern Vales wine region of South Australia. Entering the cellar-door sales and tasting area, one is instantly gratified by the spectacular view from this pacy Budgens Road facility. Large, strategically-placed windows provide an eye-catching panorama of the vineyards in the small valley below. Combined with some tastings, the views give one a sense of wellbeing and serenity.

Located 50km south of Adelaide, this vineyard was established in the 1990s and has four sites growing Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon and Grenache vines. The largest of these is just west of Willunga.

Other sites are located in the Barossa Valley, where two vineyards are established on the valley floor between Tanunda and Nuriootpa and Semillon vines are grown from two separate plantings. One is from grapes planted in the 1950s, while the other is from Semillon grafted onto Riesling stock root.

As an 18-year-old, Simon Hackett chose to follow a career in winemaking and joined the team at the neighbouring Saltram Winery. In 1973, he decided to move to the McLaren vale wine-growing region.

From 1984, Hackett concentrated solely on establishing his own boutique winery at Budgens Road. The two wines reviewed by the Police Journal – and available at East End Cellars and the Edinburgh Hotel – are testament to his winemaking expertise.

1999 SIMON HACKETT BAROSSA VALLEY SEMILLON (unwooded)

On pouring this wine into a glass and holding it to the light, a pale straw colouring is evident with a tinge of gold. Tropical fruits and melon aromas scintillate the nasal passages, and a hint of toasty richness abounds. It leaves a rich mouth feel from one’s first taste.

This wine gives rise to a huge and full mid-palate, where the tropical fruit flavours spring to life. It is an amazing wine with great structure and depth and leaves a clean, crisp, acidic finish to the palate. Ready for drinking now or in a few years’ time, this Semillon is the perfect accompaniment for any veal dish.

RRP per bottle: $12.

1998 SIMON HACKETT McLAREN VALE ANTHONY’S RESERVE SHIRAZ

To the eye, this wine’s deep red with ruby edging is immediately noticeable. One’s sense of smell is pleasantly invaded by many aromas: plums, berries and lemon gum eucalypts. The eucalypt, especially, gives a herbaceous, refreshing complexity to this wine. The vanillin undertones are noticeable through the ageing process in both French and American oak.

Rewards come to the palate with rich, ripe plum and a peppery black currant. Full-bodied but mild in tannins, this Shiraz gives structure and balancing which is long in aftertaste. It has a velvety flow to the rear palate, which makes it ready for drinking now, or over the next 10 years with good cellaring. It is best teamed up with Peking duck and a warm salad.

RRP per bottle is $25.

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