Eight Mudgee region wines in top 100

14 Nov, 2011. Read this article on the Mudgee Guardian website here

The Mudgee region has further secured its reputation as one of the best winemaking districts in the country after a record number of the area’s wines made the Taste.com.au Top 100 Wines.

Eight local wines were on the list, published in last Tuesday’s edition of The Daily Telegraph, including two each from Logan Wines and Robert Stein Wines and one each from Bunnamagoo Estate, Louee Wines, Charnwood Estate and De Beaurepaire Wines.

The list celebrates “the finest wines Australia has to offer”, and includes a host of popular wine labels such as Grosset, Leo Buring, Brown Brothers and Penfolds.

Mudgee’s listed bottles were two of the top 11 Rieslings and top 11 Chardonnays, as well as a Sauvignon Blanc, a Shiraz and a blend, all from 2009-2011 vintages.

The listing came as a surprise to some smaller local wineries, with the teams at Bunnamagoo Estate and Rylstone’s De Beaurepaire Wines among those unaware of the accolades they’d received until the Mudgee Guardian contacted them on Friday.

“We were scrambling to get stock and photos of the bottle to send away to go in for it,” said De Beaurepaire manager Paul Brownsell.

“At the time they couldn’t guarantee us anything, so to hear that we’ve actually made it is just sensational – what an absolute delight.”

Bunnamagoo Estate administration manager Debbie Hughes said the 94 points awarded to its Mudgee Chardonnay was a particularly great honour.

“This is the first vintage that’s gone through our new winery, so being recognised like this for it is more special to us than anything,” she said.

Peter Logan of Logan Wines said the outstanding number of Mudgee region wines in the list proved his belief that the area’s quality of wine was the healthiest he has seen in his 15 years winemaking in the Central West.

“We have a good climate and great soil and a lot of good grapes with decent age in the ground, so there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be taking up that many places [on the list] every year,” he said.