reviews
2021 Mount Terrible Pinot Noir
Hand picked and sorted; 20% whole bunches, balance crushed, five-day cold soak, matured for 18 months in French barriques then a further year in bottle pre-release. Has developed super-fragrant red berries/cherries interwoven with gentle Asian spices. Best release yet
from this tiny outpost. (This vintage made it into James Halliday’s Top One Hundred)
97 Points James Halliday
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2023 Mount Terrible Pinot Noir Rose
Made by transferring a percentage of unfermented juice from the must after 24 hours of skin contact. The otherwise natural mlf is blocked, but the alcohol fermentation proceeds to full conversion of all sugar. A vividly coloured wine, fined and filtered and is a pure evocation of the fruit. Casual consumption of this lovely wine is the way to go.
94 points. James Halliday
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2023 Unwooded Mount Terrible Chardonnay
The bouquet has unusually expressive white flowers, white stone fruit and green apple shortly after going into bottle, adding grapefruit pith on the plate. MLF has given the wine texture.
93 Points. James Halliday.
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2023 Mount Terrible Chardonnay
From two new Jamieson Valley vineyards, hand picked and whole-bunch pressed; fermented and matured for six months in 100% new French barriques on lees, but not stirred; no mlf. It will canter through five years bottle ageing, gaining complexity and weight as it does so. The pink grapefruit and Granny Smith apple duo is a winner.
95 points. James Halliday.
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2024 Mount Terrible Chardonnay
Fermented in French oak (100% new), matured in barrel on lees for six months. An effortless beauty of a chardonnay – restrained, tightly wound – that slowly does a reveal as it progresses across the tongue. Nectarine, white peach, grapefruit, apple and spiced nougat flow easily in a creamy, harmonious style. Fresh acid balance tops
off a perfectly pitched chardonnay.
95 points. Jeni Port
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2022 Mount Terrible Pinot Noir
Sourced from a valley in the Victorian Alps near Jamieson, 20% whole bunches, 18 months’ maturation in French oak. A fragrant, whole bunch aromatic lift that entices in wild herbs, dark cherry, plum, bramble and allspice. Palate is supple and brightly lit
in clean acidity and a savoury, oak derived tannin presence. Builds to a firm, assertive finish.
95 points. Jeni Port
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2022 Mount Terrible Chardonnay
This inaugural release is a triumph. Its purity, focus and length hasn't been achieved by cutting down every facet of the wine. It has all the indicia of cool-grown chardonnay, starting quietly but accelerating continuously to the intense, classic white peach and grapefruit duo on the long palate and lingering, fresh aftertaste.
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12.7% alc., screwcap, drink to 2037 $45. 97 points
~ James Halliday
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2022 Mount Terrible Pinot Noir Rose
Light but vivid hue. Strawberry/raspberry aromas:purity for short. This has real presence, real pinot fruit; made from the ground up. Its mouthfeel and texture are also admirable.
13% alc., screwcap, drink to 2027 $25. 94 points
~ James Halliday
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2019 Mount Terrible Pinot Noir
Hand-picked, 5-daycold soak, 20% whole bunches open fermented, basket pressed gravity flow, French barriques (33% new) for 18 months, racked three times. It has comoplex cherry/plum/spice/earth flavours on the long palate, which have a savoury anchor.
13.3% alc., screwcap, drink to 2030 $45. 95 points
~ James Halliday
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2018 Mount Terrible Jamieson Pinot Noir
Five days cold soak, open-fermented with 20% whole bunches, basket pressed to French barriques (1/3 new), filled by gravity, matured for 18 months. Perfumed violets and red berries fill the bouquet. The palate is elegant and long, and the spicy, predominantly red fruits have made light work of the new oak. 13.5% alc., screwcap, drink to 2038 $45. 96 points
~ James Halliday
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Hand-picked fruit, 20% whole bunches. Pressed off skins to French oak (1/3 new) for mlf and 18 months' maturation, not filtered. Mount Terrible takes its name from the mountain south of the vineyard which determines the area's micro-climate. Not a shy pinot by any stretch. Solid red colour and boasting an intense fragrance of sage, thyme, macerated spiced cherries and oak. The oak, a mix of Fracois Freres and Sirugue, medium toasted, takes centre stage, providing tannin structure, warm texture and woody spice. Fortunately the fruit is up to the challenge. 95 points
~ Jeni Port
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2017 Mount Terrible Jamieson Pinot Noir
Hand-picked, chilled before crushing, 20% whole bunches, matured in French oak (33% new). A most attractive wine that has flourished in the cool vintage. Screwcap. 13.5% alc., drink to 2030 $45. 95 points
~ James Halliday
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READ ALL MOUNT TERRIBLE WINE REVIEWS
2016 mt terrible pinot noir
"Jamieson Pinot Noir 2016. Hand-picked, chilled immediately, cold soaked with 20% whole bunches for 5 days, open-fermented, hand-plunged every three hours, matured for 18 months in French barriques (33% new). Excellent colour. A spice/cherry/plum trifecta drives the bouquet and generous palate. Velvety and supple, it has depth and balance, and will live for as long as you can keep your hands off it. 13.5% alc. To 2031"
96 Points
2015 mt terrible pinot noir
“Jamieson Pinot Noir 2015. Estate-grown, hand-picked, clones 114, 115, 777 and MV6, three days cold soak in an open fermenter with 10% whole bunches, post-ferment maceration, matured for 18 months in French oak. The full crimson-purple colour introduces a very high quality, ultra-fragrant Pinot with the depth, complexity and length reminiscent Burgundies. Made with a sure touch. Screw cap. 13.5% alc. To 2030." 97 points
2014 mt terrible pinot noir
James Halliday: "A bolshy pinot noir with a ton of personality, this alpine expression is hewn from low yields, maceration pre and post-ferment with a seasoning of stems and 18 months in French oak. Rich and moreish, with damson plum, mulch and cedar combining into a textural whole. The intensity of flavour is compelling, as are the layers, all auguring well for a bright future. Needs time. Screwcap. 13.5% al. To 2025." 95 points
2010
mt terrible pinot noir
James Halliday: “From four estate-grown clones (114, 115, 777 and MV6) cold soaked (with 20% whole bunches) for five days before open fermentation, then eighteen months in French oak. The colour is still youthful and bright, with no hint of bricking; the bouquet is building spicy perfume along with still-primary fruit, the palate supple and fine, a hint of forest floor on the after-taste adding to the palate. Still has years of life." 95 points
Ben Thomas (The Weekly Review): “Frosts and bushfires have meant releases from this winery in the valley of the Jamieson River in the foothills of Mount Terrible have stuttered in recent years. This one is perfumed, with aromas of plum, strawberry, rhubarb, spice and raspberry plus stalky, sappy and earthy characters. The perfume flows through the mouth, along with a darker set of berry flavours and stewed plum, with prune-like intensity. Intensity builds and builds and there’s a nice grip and fresh berry and plums on the finish.”
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Nick Munday (Canterbury Wines): “Very occasionally one comes across a wine from a hitherto unknown winery that blows one off one’s feet. Such a wine is the 2010 Mount Terrible pinot noir from a minuscule 5 acre plot at a thousand feet above sea level in the stunningly beautiful Jamieson Valley. John Eason, the winemaker, strives to produce a pinot noir in the style of the great French Burgundies, and he has gone a long way to achieving his goal with the release of the exquisite 2010 pinot. Fresh, tangy, savoury cherry and plum fruit, spice and briar aromas are mirrored in a vibrant and intense palate that is beautifully structured, long and lingering. The oak handling is impeccable. Oozes class, but with the best years in front of it.”
Phil Hude (Armadale Cellars): “If the superb Pinot Noir from Mount Terrible is anything to go by, the Victorian High Country could well be the next big thing when it comes to Pinot Noir. Mount Terrible Pinot Noir displays structure very few New World Pinots possess, yet never veers to over-extraction.”
