Reviews

On the Mike Press scale, this is a big Shiraz. But don't let its stature or its immediate youthful appeal fool you into the impression that it is either blockbuster or simplistic. It is neither, but at this young age it takes a vigorous double decant and a few hours to really reveal itself. When it does, you will discover a bouquet of stewed plums, prunes, rhubarb and pepper with a dash of milk chocolate oak. The palate is concentrated and powerful with flavours of cherry liqueur dark chocolates at first, then building into deep, layered Satsuma plum and preserved black cherry intensity. Tannins are very fine and structured, and it has the acid freshness to counter its high ripeness. With sufficient time for the fruit to unravel, there is no suggestion of overt alcohol. This will be a faster maturing Mike Press Shiraz, but it will benefit from a year to settle, and a further two to integrate. Another impressive result from Mr Press and, as ever, the value for money is off the scale! 92 points Tyson Stelzer - Wine Business Magazine/Taste Food and Wine. 

Mike Press has taken the bargain red stakes by storm over the past few years, and he's continued the form here. This is riper and richer than we've previously seen under this label and while personally I'd like to see it tamed back a notch, the quality/value equation is still pretty amazing. A warning though: you have to enjoy the taste and smell of American oak to enjoy these wines; it's laid on pretty thick.  Vanilla and nougat and then lots of rich, ripe, cherry-plum flavour. All the quality is obvious and up-front and ready to be enjoyed. Delicious wine and clearly a much better wine than the price would suggest. Warm finish and so much oak that it seems varnishy, but given some air it drinks very well. Ripe, grainy tannin folds through the finish. I reckon it needs another 6-12 months to integrate better but for good old-fashioned red drinking, this is right up there once again. Could be worth an extra point or two as well, depending on your tastes in oak. 90/100 Campbell Mattinson – The Wine Front:

A very generous nose of plums, liquorice, mulberries, caramel, dark earth, cinnamon sugar, marshmallow, ripe red cherries, vanilla and wheat grass, all encapsulated in a savoury framework. Full/medium bodied, the palate is juicy, smooth, rich and generous with good weight and soft, expansive, cushion-like yet defined tannins providing a sumptuous experience. Refreshing, life-giving acid melds with the tannins to carry the wine's flavours to a lingering, finely-textured finish. At 14.9% alcohol, I am amazed that I didn't detect any heat, although the "ripe red cherries" verges into a hint of kirsch... but only a hint... a nuance. This wine will age, and I will cellar some bottles, but I can't see it getting any better over the next 6 months... economic crisis relief in a bottle! This is the most easily enjoyable Mike Press red on release that I can remember. 91/100. Adair Durie

This is a fresh, pure, fruit-focused Chardonnay which tastes like white nectarines, peach blossom and spicy pink grapefruit. It has excellent balance of fine minerality and a long, persistent finish. The theme is all about the vineyard and the fruit here, with not a hint of distraction from oak or winemaker influence. This is one of Australia's best sub-$10 Chardonnays, and it ranks among the greatest whites yet to emerge from the impressive Mike Press estate. 91 points Tyson Stelzer – Wine Busines Magazine, Taste Food and Wine

I opened this alongside some of its more expensive Adelaide Hills peers (2007 Henschke Coralinga and 2007 Hewitson Lu Lu) and the humbly priced Mike Press acquitted itself favourably. Admittedly from a different, and from what I am seeing, possibly better white vintage - the Press is the wine I actually preferred to drink. It had a vivacity and uncompromising Blancness that I found more appealing than the softer 2007's.Young and vivacious - full of banana and tropical fruit, grass, pee and minerals. It has plenty of honey and tropical fruit with a touch of minerality and sheen of sweatiness. There's some chalkiness to the texture which is an attractive touch and chilling it down (they way you would/should drink it) results in better focus and line. The finish is good too - often a let down with Sauvignon Blanc. It should be ready for you just in time for summer and the bang per buck value is as obvious as the wine itself. ABV: 12% Drink: 2008 - 2010. 90 points. Gary Walsh; The Wine Front

Mike Press devoted a lifetime to working for the big boys but stepped down as chief winemaker for Mildara Blass in 1998, thinking that he and wife Judy could enjoy retirement growing grapes near Lobethal in the Adelaide Hills. When the big companies
refused to pay more than an uneconomic $300 per tonne for fruit, Press decided he'd be better off making his own wine and finding ways to distribute it.
Winning a trophy, with fruit classified as D-grade by one of the large wineries, proved a good launching pad for the venture. Further show success (three trophies and seven golds for the 2005 reds) with wines selling on the mailing list for less than $12, suggests that Mike Press can deliver quality wines at rock-bottom prices. The key to Press' success has been the vineyard's 24 hectares of mature vines and his winemaking experience. The wines are made under contract at Cellarmasters, where he employs some of the tricks he's learnt over the years. With new oak at a premium, the cabernet is rotated so that each batch has some time under the influence of the best oak. Press has chosen to market directly via cellar door and mail order, passing on the distributors' margin to customers in cheaper prices. This is possible because of his reputation, the show record of his wines and lower costs.
The 2007 Cabernet Sauvignon is a soft, round, silky-smooth Adelaide Hills cabernet, much riper than I would have expected, with blackcurrant and mulberry flavours, neatly integrated oak and supple, velvety tannins. 1t has a concentration and elegance that belies its price.
A wine only becomes a bargain if its quality is fantastic in relation to its price

It's easy to sound like a broken record with the Mike Press reds. The value is just so high. This has oodles of curranty, dusty, tarry fruit flavour and just a gentle kiss of vanillin, custary oak. And it's got structure too: fleshy, ripe, dry tannins that kee p the wine focussed in your mouth. I could drink buckets of this. It's inherently balanced and so it will drink well from day one - but it should drink well anytime over the next five or so years. 91 Points. Campbell Mattinson The Wine Front.

A deep core of blackberry and other bramble fruits is accompanied by dark earth, vanilla oak and a sprinkle of herbs within a savoury, meaty framework. Full-medium bodied, the palate is rich, deep and juicy with ripe, talc-like, supple, drying tannins controlling, expanding over the palate and harmoniously contrasting the sweet core of fruit and providing a very satisfying finish with lingering caramel and fruit tannins. This is textbook Cabernet with superb balance between sweet fruit, oak, savoury nuances and tannic structure. Drink now and anytime over the next 10 years. 92/100. Adair Durie

Fresh, peachy, slightly spicy and apple-like. Nice weight, texture and flavour with a little warmth on the finish. It's not a great chardonnay but it's a good drink - and still easily qualifies as a 'deadset bargain'. Drink: 2008-2009. 87 points. Campbell Mattinson, The Wine Front.

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