reviews
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
James Halliday: “Light crimson-purple hue; a courageous approach to the problematic vintage; the bouquet is most attractive, and there are light globes of sweet cherry on the light-bodied, savoury/spicy palate. Definitely passes the test." 90 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.”
