'Just Crushed' Autumn 2016 - Issue 2

News from Pepper Tree

Issue No.

2

IT’S OUR

BIRTHDAY! facebook/PepperTreeWines

twitter/PepperTreeWine

instagram/peppertreewines

Welcome 2016 is upon us and vintage is well and truly underway. The winery team have been frantically crushing grapes and we are starting to see some marvellous wines coming off the press. You can expect to see some of our new release wines hitting the cellar door shelves around June. See page 3 for a full vintage update from our Head Winemaker, Gwyn Olsen.

It’s a big year for us here at Pepper Tree, with 2016 marking our 25th birthday! This is a wonderful achievement and major credit to the awesome team we have working tirelessly both front-of-house and behind the scenes at PTW.

We will be celebrating this milestone throughout the year with multiple exciting events. Check out our events calendar on page 6 to see what is coming up and also review the message from our owner John Davis on page 4.

We look forward to welcoming our members and their guests back to the cellar door in the coming months. Book into the Members Tasting Lounge any Sunday and receive a special birthday treat from us! See page 6 for details.

Cheers,

The Pepper Tree Team

Some of our favourite snaps featuring #PepperTreeWines!

Don’t forget to tag us or #PepperTreeWines when enjoying your next glass or bottle!

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Just Crushed

Issue No. 2

Autumn 2016

PepperTreeWines PepperTreeWine peppertreewines

NEWS FROM THE

WINEMAKER GW Y N OL SEN - 2015 LEN EVA NS SCHOLA R

In the Winery The 2016 harvest has certainly been a challenging one for the Hunter Valley, with the highest ever January rainfall recorded at 450mm. This made the start of the season difficult, however thanks to the hard work throughout the season of our vineyard team, the whites were picked at good ripeness and flavour intensity, and without any issues.

The Semillons are fine and balanced, with the Chardonnays displaying white peach notes and a crisp, fresh acidity.

The rain delayed the red ripening and they were harvested mid-February. Flavour ripeness was ahead of sugar ripeness thus we will see the resulting wines perfumed and elegant at alcohols of 13% -13.5% with fine, silky tannins. With an early Easter and drier than average conditions, Orange and Wrattonbully have started earlier than normal. And in a first for this winery we are harvesting all regions at once! It looks to be another incredible year for both Orange and Wrattonbully with great flavour intensity and clean, even fruit.

Cheers, Gwyneth Olsen

CLUB ‘Q4’ stands behind our philosophy of providing ‘Quality’ wine on a ‘Quarterly’ basis.

Join this exclusive membership and receive first priority access to all Single Vineyard and Limited Release wines upon release, along with additional discounts and extensive privileges.

Membership is available to a limited number of members and holds an increased commitment of two cases per quarter. Members are offered flexibility with their choice of wine received along with the Winemakers personal recommendations per quarter.

Some of the extensive benefits of the ‘Q4’ Club include: • Receive 20% off Limited Release and Single Vineyard Ranges.

• 30% off all Varietal Range.

• Complimentary invitation for you and your guest to attend one of Pepper Tree’s Member Events of your choice throughout the year.

• Invitation to exclusive ‘Q4’ events such as the Benchmark Tasting, Winemaker’s Table Luncheon and ‘Q4’ Christmas Cruise.

• Detailed tasting notes included in every wine delivery.

• James Halliday’s Australian Wine Companion upon release each year signed by our Head Winemaker Gwyneth Olsen.

• Voucher for two at ‘Chef Hatted’ Restaurant Bistro Molines, Mount View to the value of $150.00 along with a bottle of Sparkling ‘Silenus’ to enjoy on your arrival.

• Free freight Australia wide on all purchases plus much more!

Limited spaces are available for this exclusive Club!

For an information package and membership form, please call the Pepper Tree Wine Club on 1800 655 965 or email ptwclub@peppertreewines.com.au.

Just Crushed

Issue No. 2

Autumn 2016

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YEARS OF

PEPPER TREE WINES This year marks the 25th Anniversary of Pepper Tree Wines and we will be holding many club events and wine offers to celebrate the great achievements of the Winery and its staff.

Our family was attracted to buy Pepper Tree in 2002 because of the great reputation for wine quality and innovation which had been built up during the previous ownership by the Fairfax family. Wine awards had included the Jimmy Watson Trophy in 2001 and Worlds Best Merlot award at the London International Wine Show in 1999.

Current Cellar Door & Contango Espresso Roasters

More important than the awards were the relationships Pepper Tree was building with its customers and the dedication of its staff to providing a great wine tourism experience in the Hunter Valley.

With the benefit of my geological experience from a previous career, our family had been patiently developing significant vineyards from the early nineties and by 2002 had developed over 400 acres of premium vineyards in traditional areas like the Hunter Valley and Coonawarra as well as exciting frontier areas like Orange and Wrattonbully. We had planned to base a new wine company on these vineyards but when the chance to purchase Pepper Tree presented itself in 2002 the attraction was irresistible. Pepper Tree was the perfect vehicle to marry up with our vineyards.

I consider we were very fortunate from the start to not only buy a wonderful winery asset but also to acquire key staff who were passionate and motivated.

Fourteen years later Sandra Brown and Stephanie King are still with us and more important than ever. Others have since left but have remained great friends of the company. It is a great credit to Sandra that she has been able to pass on her cultural values to many of our younger staff members whose morale and work enjoyment is constantly complimented by our customers.

Our vineyard and winery assets coupled with motivated sales and

(Original Logo)

(Current Logo)

marketing staff have been important also in attracting some high profile winemaking staff who are clearly vital to the success of any winery.

Jim Chatto joined us in 2007 and made a significant impact on refining existing wine styles, adding new wine styles and contributing generally to Pepper Trees’ credibility and reputation. Jim has since moved on to other challenges including Chairmanship of the National Wine Show but continues as a valued consultant to Pepper Tree.

Original Cellar Door

Since 2002, Pepper Tree has won almost 1,000 medals in wine shows including 136 gold medals and 40 trophies.

These have included Best Red Wine of the Hunter Show in two of the last three years and most successful exhibitor of the Limestone Coast Show in 2014 and Champion Wine of Show in 2015.

We have seven times been awarded wine of the year in various varietal categories in National Wine magazines and in the past seven years have achieved 70 five star ratings for our wines in the Halliday Wine Companion (Australia’s most authoritative wine ratings). I am sure that few other wineries in Australia could match this record.

Perhaps the most satisfying award to me personally came at last years’ Limestone Coast Wine Show where our 2013 Block 21A Cabernet Sauvignon won 4 trophies including Champion Wine of Show. This wine was made from a block on our Wrattonbully vineyard where the vines are growing virtually in limestone rock. We have been nurturing this block for many years while the vines struggled to grow and we are delighted to finally see the benefits in the wine. This win was particularly significant considering we were up against the biggest companies in the country as well as other high quality boutique producers from the more established Coonawarra area to the south.

While we are very pleased with our awards to date we are constantly upgrading our vineyards as new varieties and clones become available and we will have many exciting new wines to release in the future.

His successors Scott Comyns and Gwyn Olsen have continued the company’s high winemaking standards producing more show successes than ever before.

The success of our company can also be viewed by our relationship with our customers. Since 2002 our wine club membership has more than doubled to almost 4,000 members while our mailing list base has increased 15 fold to over 15,000. We are very proud of this achievement as it demonstrates not only the approval of our wines but also our staff who serve them.

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Autumn 2016

I congratulate all our staff and winemakers on our first 25 years and I hope that all our customers will join us at our celebratory events throughout the year or participate in our celebratory wine offers.

John Davis Owner

2015 ‘Polly Fumé’ Limited Release Hunter Valley | Orange Semillon Sauvignon Blanc Tasting Notes Our Limited Release ‘Polly Fumé’ is our take on a traditional old world white wine style. This wine is a full bodied, complex white wine that is a blend of barrel fermented Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc. The Semillon provides the wine with minerality, finesse and a fresh and lively character while the Sauvignon Blanc has developed an unrivalled complexity and an aromatic palate.

Vintage Notes The Hunter conditions leading up to the 2015 harvest were variable. Light delicate wines resulted but the quality was good.

Our Tallavera Vineyard blocks were picked in clean condition and produced pleasant light wines.

Our high altitude Orange vineyard experienced excellent ripening conditions and produced some of our best wines from the 2015 vintage. Rains in early February, which looked like threatening the vintage eventually gave way to perfect ripening conditions in midFebruary and March. Excellent parcels of Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc have made wines of very high quality. Several single vineyard wines are likely to be bottled from this excellent vintage.

CLICK HERE for Detailed Tasting Notes

Club Member Price $23.50 ‘Q4’ Member Price $22.40 RRP $28.00

2013 ‘The Pebbles’ Limited Release Wrattonbully Shiraz Viognier Tasting Notes A complex aromatic mix of spice and florals with dark berry fruits, integrated well with savoury oak. An opulent expressive cool climate Shiraz Viognier, medium bodied yet powerfully concentrated with dark berry fruits and wonderful spice.

Supple tannins and fine acidity provide great structure and balance to the sweet mid-palate fruit.

Vintage Notes Good rainfall in winter and early spring got Vintage 2013 off to a great start. Warm dry conditions throughout the growing and ripening season then led to a brilliant vintage. All reds were picked in near perfect conditions producing wines with great flavour and balance. Cabernet Sauvignon was very good but Shiraz and Merlot were even better. Great vintage.

CLICK HERE for Detailed Tasting Notes

Club Member Price $21.00 ‘Q4’ Member Price $20.00 RRP $25.00

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Issue No. 2

Autumn 2016

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IT’S OUR

BIRTHDAY! Our gift to you...

Book in for a Member’s Lounge Tasting on any Sunday & make a wine purchase in Cellar Door on the day to receive a complimentary bottle of wine from our award winning Limited Release range.* *Terms & conditions apply, please enquire with Cellar Door staff upon booking.

2016 EVENTS CALENDAR APRIL BRISBANE MEMBERS’ DINNER Friday 15th April, 2016 Moda Restaurant, Brisbane QLD

MAY HARVEST LUNCHEON Saturday 21st May & 28th May, 2016 Circa 1876, Pokolbin NSW (*At capacity - currently taking waiting list)

JUNE CANBERRA MEMBERS’ DINNER Friday 17th June, 2016 The Boathouse by the Lake, Canberra ACT

JULY BRISBANE MEMBERS’ DINNER

AUGUST Q4 WINEMAKERS TABLE LUNCHEON Saturday 6th August, 2016 Pepper Tree Wines, Pokolbin NSW POOCH PICNIC Sunday 28th August, 2016 Pepper Tree Wines, Pokolbin NSW

SEPTEMBER MELBOURNE MEMBERS’ DINNER THE SYDNEY MEMBERS’ 25 YEAR CELEBRATION DINNER Friday 2nd September, 2016 QVB Tea Room, Sydney NSW

OCTOBER SPRING FOOD & WINE CELEBRATION Saturday 15th October, 2016 Pepper Tree Wines, Pokolbin NSW

NOVEMBER SYDNEY HARBOUR EVENING CRUISE Friday 11th November, 2016 Sydney Harbour SYDNEY HARBOUR AFTERNOON CRUISE Saturday 12th November, 2016 Sydney Harbour ‘Q4’ CHRISTMAS CRUISE Sunday 13th November, 2016 Sydney Harbour

TO BOOK A WINE CLUB EVENT

email ptwclub@peppertreewines.com.au or phone 1800 655 965.

Due to the extremely high and growing demand, some events may have set ticket limitations per membership. Event details subject to change.

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Issue No. 2

Autumn 2016

Autumn Special

To place your order simply complete the attached Order Form or follow the links to our Online Shop

SAVE

$108.00

Wine Club Members Case Special (RRP $358 ) .00

1

2

3

$250.00

+ FREE *Tasting FREIGHT

Notes included

*Includes 2 bottles of each wine below

2013 ‘Silenus’ Limited Release Orange Sparkling Chardonnay Pinot Noir 1

2015 ‘Polly Fumé’ Limited Release Hunter Valley | Orange Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2

2015 Limited Release Hunter Valley Chardonnay 3

2013 ‘Classics’ Limited Release Wrattonbully Cabernet Merlot 4

4

5

6

2013 ‘The Pebbles’ Limited Release Wrattonbully Shiraz Viognier 5

2014 Limited Release Hunter Valley Shiraz 6

Just Crushed

Issue No. 2

Autumn 2016

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5

MINUTES WITH...

Islay

ONLY

39.95

$

We are delighted to introduce you to one of our valued Pet Club members – Islay.

Islay playing (having a rest

) with a stick

Age: 18 months old.

Breed: Scottish Terrier.

Favourite Food: Pork Crackling.

Favourite Toy: Elmo.

Pet Hate: Pulling her beard.

A day in the life of Islay: Islay has a very hard life. Her day begins at 6.30am every morning when she wakes up her Mum and demands a cuddle. Her Mum will get out of bed at 7.00am, so Islay will Islay in the sand roll over and cuddles her Dad until he gets out of bed at 7.30am. Then poor Islay gets kicked out of bed at 8.15am when her parents leave the house to go hunting for the day. Islay then makes her way over to the couch for her morning nap. A few hours later, the neighbours will take her for a drive and a walk for an hour or so. Upon Islay’s return, she will then go back to the couch for her afternoon nap. At around about 5.30pm – when her parents get home – She will then go for another walk and when that’s all finished, she’ll return back to the couch for her evening nap. When her mum is ready to go to bed, Islay will follow her to the room and settle-in for the night for her night-time nap. All up, we estimate that she is awake for approx 3 hours each day which can be incredibly draining for the young pup.

Other info about Islay: Islay is a fan of wasabi peas and she is an avid collector of socks – we are confident that she has almost one in every set of socks we have... had.

Being a family owned business, we understand the importance of including the entire family into the Wine Club, hence why we have extended our membership to include your canine friend.

One off joining fee of $39.95 Receive a Pepper Tree Pet Lead (Members Price $18.00) Treat for your furry friend in your Wine Club commitment cases Membership Certificate Complimentary bowl of water and treat upon their visit to the winery 1 bottle of Pepper Tree Varietal Range wine upon joining

86 Halls Road, Pokolbin NSW 2320 AUSTRALIA P 02 4909 7100

F 02 4998 7746

Freecall 1800 655 965

E ptwclub@peppertreewines.com.au

www.peppertreewines.com.au

Printed on 100% Post Consumer Waste Recycled, Carbon Neutral Paper. FSC Certified.