Thistle Hill
2006 Autumn Newsletter
Greetings from Lesley, Lucy and Sally Robertson
Where angels dare to tread
Thistle Hill is proud to be organic. We received organic certification through NASAA (National Association for Sustainable Agriculture,
Lesley believes organic principles in the vineyard are reflected in the fruit-concentrated flavour of the wines, and this strategy must be working because she was awarded the runners-up prize in the first-ever Mudgee Viticulturalist of the Year competition. You may have seen her being interviewed on ABCs Landline program as part of the competition.
2006 Events
Thistle Hill will be attending several wine and food fairs this year. Lesley, Lucy and Sally would love you to come and say hello, taste our current range and take advantage of the specials on offer on the day.
2006 vintage
2006 has been a terrific vintage. The fruit is superb and is quickly turning into elegant, generous wines. Although we have scaled down the quantities of wine we make at Thistle Hill considerably since the death of David Robertson, it is lovely to see the winery back in full production mode, and the wines are currently being nurtured onsite by renowned Mudgee maker Philip van Gent.
David Jones
Thistle Hill is proud to be stocked in the organic section of David Jones Food Halls nationally. We were one of only two organic wines to be chosen by David Jones’ panel of wine judges, and were also recently published in ABC delicious. magazine as part of David Jones’ organic promotion.
Alchemy Theatre Company
Thistle Hill is the major sponsor of the Alchemy theatre company based in Surry Hills,
Art outdoors exhibition
Thistle Hill will be hosting Art Outdoors, an eclectic mix of modern organofunk from selected artists. The exhibition includes wood and metal outdoor sculptures, water features and garden accessories from local artists Maurie
Robin Bradley
Renowned wine writer, Robin Bradley, has given Thistle Hill a five-star rating in the twenty-second edition of his book, 2005 Australian Wine Vintages. A five-star rating equates Thistle Hill to being “the continent’s best,” and he states, Thistle Hill Vineyard is an extremely impressive Mudgee maker with a limited range of the noble varieties. The wines are all notably generous, with both power and elegance in the fruit. The Cabernet and Pinot Noir have five stars, and the Chardonnay and Riesling have four. We have maintained our five-star rating for more than 15 editions of the book.
Olive oil
Come and visit our cellar door to taste some of our organic olive oil. The extra virgin olive oil is made from handpicked Corregiolo olives grown on the property. The oil is fresh and grassy, with delicate fruit flavours that will complement any meal. It is our second harvest of olives this season, with last year’s oil selling out within six months. Come and see how fresh and delicious organic olive oil tastes!
The cottage
The accommodation at Thistle Hill has been upgraded! Our now modern cottage has been renovated and redecorated for your convenience. The cost is just $80 for the cottage and $25 per person per night, including all linen, a basket breakfast, access to an in-ground swimming pool and winery tour. This means that for two people the price is $130 per night, four people is $180 and six people is $230 per night. Children under the age of two are free.
Labradoodles
With all this talk about wine we almost forgot to mention Thistle Hill’s latest brush with fame. Millie and Molly are the resident Labradoodles who have most likely greeted those people lucky enough to visit Thistle Hill’s cellar door in the last four years. Molly is famous for her good looks and shaggy beard, whereas Millie has mastered the art of climbing a grapevine and eating her favourite fruit grape by grape. The girls, as they are affectionately called, have appeared in the book Wine Dogs: the dogs of Australian wineries, published by McGill Design Group. From this press Millie and Molly went on to star in a two-hour Japanese television program, Pochi-tama on TV Tokyo. Let’s hope all this fame doesn’t go straight to their heads! Come and visit our famous pampered pooches!
Our Current Wines2005 Riesling *** NEW RELEASE
A fresh, young Riesling with a floral bouquet of lime and lemongrass. The palate has classic lime, citrus and melon flavours with a crisp acid finish. Drink 2006-2011.
2001 Chardonnay
This lovely aged Chardonnay has won silver medals at the 2005 and 2006 Mudgee Wine Shows. The wine is fresh and creamy with complex citrus flavours and soft French oak. Drink 2006-2010.
2003 Basket Press Pinot Noir *** NEW RELEASE
This delicious Pinot Noir was picked by hand and then pressed gently using a traditional wooden basket press. The wine has aromas of black cherry and smoky French oak and the palate is delicate with hints of ripe cherry and plum. Drink 2006-2012.
2001 Premium
2001 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon
This elegant Cabernet Sauvignon has rich aromas of plum, ripe berries and sweet American oak. The palate is complex with plum, spice, oak and tobacco flavours developing into a long, lingering finish. This cabernet won a silver medal at the 2004 Mudgee Wine Show and is the last cabernet made by the late Dave Robertson. Drink 2006-2010.
1998 Botrytis Riesling (375ml) *** NEW RELEASE
We have extremely small quantities of this delicious Botrytis Riesling, which has been maturing in our cellar since 1998 and will only be released to our mailing list customers. The wine smells and tastes of cumquat and lime, with classic marmalade botrytis characters providing richness and complexity. This divine dessert wine is available in 375ml (half) bottles only. Drink constantly.
1997 Liqueur
This delicious
Orders
You can order all the above wines on our accompanying order form. Just fax the form to us, or send your order in the reply paid envelope. You can also order through our secure website at www.thistlehill.com.au.
Note: All the above wines are available in both 12-AND six-pack cartons. Our six-pack cartons are sold at half the price of the 12-pack cartons. Just specify your requirements on the order form.
Special offers:
We have a number of special offers available exclusively to our mailing list customers:
New Release Special Mixed Dozen – WAS $248 NOW $210
This mixed dozen is made up of two bottles of each of our new release and current wines – two 2005 Riesling, two 2001 Chardonnay, two 2003 Basket Press Pinot Noir, two 2001 Premium Shiraz, two 2001 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon, one 1998 Botrytis Riesling and one 1997 Liqueur Muscat. That’s a saving of $38.
New Release Special Half Dozen – WAS $144 NOW $110
This half-dozen is made up of one bottle of each of our new release and current wines – one 2005 Riesling, one 2001 Chardonnay, one 2003 Basket Press Pinot Noir, one 2001 Premium Shiraz, one 2001 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon, one 1998 Botrytis Riesling and one 1997 Liqueur Muscat. A saving of $34.
‘Bin End’ Special Mixed Dozen – WAS $222 NOW $180
When we release new wines, we occasionally have a few cases left of the previous vintage, called ‘bin ends’. This mixed dozen is made up of three bottles each of four ‘bin end’ wines, namely 2001 Semillon, 2000 Chardonnay, 2002 Pinot Noir and 2001
2000 Cabernet
This easy drinking 2000 Cabernet/
2002 Cabernet Sauvignon – WAS $170 NOW $110
This is the first ever release of this lovely 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon, exclusively to our mailing list customers. The wine is a steal at $10 a bottle, or just $110 per case, a saving of $60!
CLEANSKINS - 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon – JUST $6O
We have recently had the enviable task of cleaning up our cellar! In our hunt we found some bottles of 2001 Cabernet Sauvignon, which was bottled at a different time to our 2001 Premium Cabernet Sauvignon. You can put your own label on it for a special function and buy this wine as a cleanskin for just $60 a case.
Thistle Hill – a thorn in the side of its competitors.
If you are after unique, elegant wines that age gracefully then indulge in some wine from Thistle Hill. But be quick because the wines are selling out fast and the first 50 orders we receive will be treated to a 10% discount.
Wine Time
Here are some quotes from people we can trust.
Thomas Jefferson, “I double the doctor’s recommendation of a glass and a half of wine every day and treble it with a friend.”
Ernest Hemingway “Wine is the most civilised thing in the world.”
William Butler Yeats “The problem with some people is they aren’t drunk they’re sober.”
Benjamin Franklin “Wine makes daily living easier, less hurried, with fewer tensions and more tolerance.”
Winston Churchill, “There are only two occasions when I drink wine – when I have game for dinner and when I haven’t.”