By his own admission, when Adrian Sparks took over as chief winemaker at Mount Pleasant, the pressure was on.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
"I was absolutely sh***ing myself," the 42-year-old says in his disarmingly unpretentious way.
The reason was that he became only the fifth chief winemaker in Mount Pleasant's 98-year history - a coveted position.
Included in those five were legendary Phil Ryan who was at the helm for more than three decades, followed by the highly credentialled Jim Chatto who, on the back of the 2014 "vintage of the century", produced a swathe of sensational reds that earned national acclaim.
So yes, when Sparks stepped into the top job in 2017, the heat was most certainly on - especially so when your top wine retails at $250 a bottle, and you carry four other reds north of the $100 mark.
On top of that, they have some of Australia's most iconic vineyards - both red and white - in their stable. There's nowhere to hide.
Fast forward two years.
On Friday Mount Pleasant's 2018 Mountain D shiraz ($75) was named NSW Wine of the Year at the NSW Wine Awards, as well as red wine of show and best shiraz.
It was described as having "a rich and dense palate, with dark fruits to the fore. The palate is intense and long with lovely structure".
A year earlier, Sparks' first year in control, their 2017 Old Paddock Old Hill Shiraz ($50) picked up the same trifecta at the NSW Wine Awards, as well as five trophies at the Hunter Wine Show.
So it was hardly surprising that Sparks, was also named the 2019 NSW Winemaker of the Year.
And at this year's Hunter Wine Show - a red hot competition as you would expect from Australia's oldest wine growing region - he did the business again, this time winning best red wine of show and best shiraz with another of their stable, the 2018 Rosehill Shiraz ($50).
It all seems to have crept up on him quickly.
"All I ever wanted to do was to become a chief winemaker, but to do it at a company like Mount Pleasant that has such great history and such fabulous old vines ... it's amazing, I still pinch myself," he says.
"I haven't tried to do anything new. Jim Chatto used to tell me to keep it simple and that's all I'm doing ... a few little tweaks here and there."
They're sure doing the trick.
Sparks is also quick to praise his team, and says part of their success is that they have fun.
"We know we're fortunate to have access to the fruit we do - there are winemakers out there who would love to have these wonderful old vineyards," he says. "We just keep striving to do better."
Other Hunter trophy wines at the NSW Wine Awards were| First Creek 2018 Winemaker's Reserve Hunter Valley Chardonnay; Tamburlaine Organic Wines 2019 Orange Riesling; Tamburlaine Organic Wines 2018 Orange Reserve Malbec; McGuigan 2018 Shortlist Hunter Valley Semillon ; Tulloch 2019 Cellar Door Release Orange Vermentino; Margan 2019 Hunter Valley Rose and Bramble; and Tyrrell's 2018 Vat 8 Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon.
