The 2001 vintage proved an excellent one for Mudgee red wines, typified by this blend. Fruit for this wine came from the Abercorn vineyard and from several neighbouring Mudgee vineyards.

Yields were across all of these vineyards (below 7 tonnes per hectare).

A wet Winter and Spring established soil moisture levels for Summer and ripening was excellent. The year gave full flavoured Shiraz fruit at low beaume's while the Cabernet was fuller and gave the blend critical structure.

The final average beaume was 12.8, acid was 5.5 grams with a pH of 3.65. The Shiraz was picked on April 2 and Cabernet Sauvignon on April 8.

The wine is a unique style best described as "friendly and generous". In the winery the goal is to make a wine that is soft but still medium-full bodied, rounded with few rough edges, and able to be drunk immediately.

The wine was fermented warm and put into mostly one, two and three year old French barrels for ageing. A final blend was conducted after 8 months in oak. 85 per cent of the final wine is Shiraz, the remainder Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Fining was used to ensure the soft finish.

A medium-bodied red wine, the 2001 Shiraz-Cabernet is a friendly style. It is fresh, fruity and highly appealing. The nose has strawberry jam and other intense fruit characters, while the palate is fresh with some fruit weight and savoury characters. Great with pizza, pasta and curry dishes, it will improve for a further 3-5 years.

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