meet the winemaker
"I selected this site after a considerable
amount of experience in the area. When I 
first
came to Mudgee to start Miramar, I made wine from the grapes growing on
this land at the time. They were a mishmash of table and wine grapes but
showed the potential of the area. Since then the vines had been removed
and an orchard established which produced some of the best peaches in the
district. When I planted the new Shiraz block in 1999 the orchard has fallen
into disrepair and so the cycle began again. "
The Eljamar vineyard, on which Secret Garden
cellar door is located, is next door to the vineyard where the famous Mountain
Blue Shiraz Cabernet is grown and the soil is very similar. The first vintage
from the new vines, 2001 won several medals and critical acclaim from winewriters
such as James Holiday and Huon Hooke who said " I'm most impressed
with the....2001 Shiraz"
Each subsequent vintage won awards wherever shown and the 2003 wines, picked
at different times, each won Gold at the last Mudgee Wine Show and one took
out the Trophy for the Best Shiraz. I think Eljamar has the potential to
produce a better wine than Mountain Blue, which is probably the most successful
wine in shows around the world, and knock it off its pedestal.
I planted Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon in 2001 and, although the Cabernet
has not been shown the Chardonnay won Bronze in Mudgee last year, I am confident
that they will also produce some of the finest wines in Mudgee.