Reviews

THE WINEFRONT Campbell Mattinson 13/11/10

Mike Press cabernet sauvignon has been on a stellar run since it burst onto the Australian wine scene with the outstanding 2005 vintage release. It's been all

go-go-go from there at remarkably low prices.

And yet for all that, I'm surprised at how good this 2009 release is. I mean, I've come to expect that Mike Press' cabernet will be good, but still this 2009 surpasses expectations. I liked it from the first sip and then, over a 24 hour period, I came to like it more and more. It tastes of blackcurrant and cherry liqueur, chocolatey oak and vanilla. It's not a dense wine, but it has flavour aplenty. Its fruit flavours are soft on your tongue, and the undercarriage of tannin is soft too. It's a bright, lively, well-balanced wine but it isn't raw or shrill; it's a wine that drinks as if it's comfortable in its own skin. This is a ‘back up the truck' release. Rated : 93
Points Alcohol : 14%
Price : $14
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2010 2017

Tyson Stelzer
Glass Clear about Wine

 Mike Press Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2009,
14.0%, RRP $14
I first tasted this wine when it had barely been in barrel a couple of months. Already it was clear that this was a special vintage for Mike Press Cabernet. I've waited in expectation for more than a year for the finished wine to land. And land it has, but the wait is far from over. A vigorous double decant and energetic swirling action was in order, but still it was reticent, so back in the bottle for half a day, a full day, a day and a half and still counting. The first thing you'll notice this year is that this is no brooding, impenetrable black thing. Its medium hue is much more elegant, setting the pace for everything that is to come. This is my kind of cabernet. Unlike shiraz, cabernet at its best is floral and perfumed, and this cooler expression allows its aromatics to open up wide to reflect nuances of violets and blackcurrants. On the palate, cherry liqueur and fresh tobacco is backed by a firm layer of dark chocolate oak and a solid undercurrent of fine tannins.

94 Points

Mike Press Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2010, 14.0%, RRP $12

Tyson Stelzer/Mark Folker, www.clearaboutwine.com.au

Forget those towers of Kiwi cleanskins at Dan's because this is where Savvy is at this year, and there's no asparagus, tinned peas or cat's pee to be found. Crunchy, clean, fresh and immaculate, this is a concentrated and powerful Sauvignon, packed with juicy passionfruit and zesty kaffir lime.
89 points

Mike Press Shiraz 2009

 Posted in Adelaide Hills, shiraz et al
By Campbell Mattinson It's easy to be a fan of
Mike Press' Adelaide Hills Shiraz- bargains rarely come much better. It's not just some opportunistic prey-on-the-misfortune-of-others gambit either; it's the wine of real people, farming their own land, making their own wine.
I reckon this is the best Mike Press Shiraz so far. Fresh, bright, boysenberried fruit laced with saucy, spicy oak. It feels modern and old-fashioned at once. It's acidity is lively, it's tannin fine and ripe, its finish satisfying. It's seductive and textural and while it gets you in from the first sip - it evolves nicely in the glass too. Buy it for the quality; treat the price as a bonus.

Rated : 93
Points Alcohol : 14%
Price : $12.50
Closure : Screwcap
Drink : 2011 - 2017

Campbell Mattinson - Wine Front: Sunday Telegraph Magazine

A lot of wineries could learn a thing or two from Mike Press Wines. The schtick of this Adelaide Hills maker is simple: great wines at great prices. It's a formula that will never go out of fashion. If you deliver good, smooth flavour without ripping people off, then they'll line up outside your door.

After bursting onto the market a few years ago, his range now has a sizeable, and loyal, following. His smooth and flavoursome reds sell for less than $12 a bottle, while his whites are even cheaper. So much for it being a tough market.

Too many Australian wines are overpriced. Some have good reason, but far too many that are priced over $30 simply shouldn't be. It's no wonder that imported wines are now the biggest sellers in Australia.

Mike Press Wines Cabernet Sauvignon ($150 per dozen from http://www.topdropwines.com.au/) is totally scrumptious and affordable too.

Campbell Mattinson is the co-publisher of independent review site http://www.winefront.com.au/.

James Haliday Top 100

James Halliday says 'The enterprise of industry veteran (over 40 years in the business) Mike Press and wife Judy, offering estate-grown wines at irresistible prices'
Mike Press Wine in Halliday's Top 100 wines 2009:
Shiraz 2008 94/100 (Sold out)

Cabernet Sauvignon 2008 94/100 (Stocks Available)

Chardonnay 2009 94/100 (Sold out)

Now, just to refresh your memory, Mike Press Wines is an Adelaide Hills outfit that's decided to cut out a few middle men and provide stellar wine quality direct to consumers - at delicous prices. I'm not a wine retailer, I'm a wine journalist, so whether or not anyone buys these wines matters nothing to me - except that you'd be mad not to. Campbell Mattinson - The Wine Front - www.winefront.com.au

CAMPBELL MATTINSON - THE WINE FRONT

MIKE PRESS WINES ADELAIDE HILLS CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2008

I've only just had this Mike Press cabernet sent to me, but it's been out for a while - it might even be scarce already. I reckon of all the Mike Press reds that have beguiled us in recent years, this is the one I'd be happiest to drink.

The Mike Press reds always show a good lick of seductive vanillin oak, and you'd be hard (err-) pressed to find a wine anywhere near this price that gives you such a hit. It therefore tastes smooth and polished and delicious, especially given that this oak is supported by pure, sweet, essence-like blackcurrant flavour. There are notes of dried herbs and dark olives too, and from the start of the bottle to the end, it's a wine that you just want to keep pouring into your mouth. There's some alcohol warmth here and the acidity pokes out a fraction, but it tastes so good that no one will care. Australia's best value red continues its run.

Rated :91 Points
Alcohol : 14.9%
Price : $13.99
Drink : 2010 - 2014

OUR GRAPE ACHIEVERS

In the spirit of the day, Jeni Port from The Age honours those who have served palates well.

Officer of the Order of Australian Wine (AWO)

For outstanding achievement and service

Mike Press, winemaker, Mike Press Wines: for services to wine and value.

Good wines to suit your wallet

JENI PORT  August 4, 2009

The Age

At the start of the year, the Winemakers' Federation of Australia laid down the facts for our wine industry facing a crippling over supply of grapes.It's a bit of a minefield so let's narrow the field and look to some of the big names and new promising labels out there punching above their weight in their respective price categories:

Mike Press 2008 sauvignon blanc ($10) If you haven't got on to Mike Press Wines, do yourself a favour. Mike Press Wines is a small outfit that hits way above its weight, so forget some of the cheapies from big companies. The shiraz is incredible, but this sauvignon blanc from the Adelaide Hills is so savvy, so flavoursome, so good it could be twice the price.

 

Jeremy Pringle

Wine Will Eat Itself

Mike Press Adelaide Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2008

Adelaide Hills 14.5% Screwcap $13

A generous gift from Tyson Stelzer, I was told to give this a good decant and seeing as I was sneaky enough to pour a taste from the bottle before decanting I can say with confidence that the wine needs & deserves it. And it's a wonderful and cuddly wine for money, delicious and with good sensible structure.

It is a rich opaque purple black and it tastes like it. It smells of sweet spiced red currants, plums (stewed & fresh) and blackcurranty goodness all with a nice splash of vanilla and some chocolics. The acidity provides life to the fruit flavours and the rub of tannin at the end is well judged.

I'd heard about Mike Press wines, and this lived up to the raves. I'm reliably told you can cellar it too, and from tasting this I don't doubt it. Delicious.

Gay2share world .com

Cult Red


Mike Press Adelaide Hills Shiraz 08 Whoa! This is the kind of wine that sends shockwaves through wine circles for its value-to-size ratio. Clanks around with muscular, dark berries and stewed plum fleshiness. Around $12. From Mike Press Wines

Mike Press Wines Adelaide Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2008

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 Wines Adelaide Hills Chardonnay 2009:

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

Mike Press Wines Adelaide Hills Shiraz 2008:

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

Edinburgh Cellars Shiraz Challenge 2009

STOP PRESS!!!!  Mike Press Adelaide Hills 2008 Shiraz was rated 10th overall out of 308 shiraz presented at the Ed's annual shiraz challenge recently.  This is in a field that includes wines with a retail price of up to $183 (which rated 9th just one ahead of Mike Press Shiraz) and you can have 18 of ours for one of those!!  The Mike Press Shiraz was easily the highest rated wine on the day under $20 - so buy up, drink up and enjoy - the consumer has spoken!!

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