“The 2019 release of Hunter Harvest is where grape meets grain; in a hopped up IPA. World famous Hunter Semillon from our estate adds zest and lemopn lime edge to this already piney and resinous imperial brew.”
Glassware: IPA glass.
Appearance: Lovely bold amber pour with a thumb of frothy white head perched on top. It falls away gradually yet still manages sufficient lacing.
Aroma: Not really picking up a whole lot of the Semillon on first smell. Getting a lot of dank pine resins, booze, sweet malts and stewed stone fruit though. As it settles some yellow citrus (grapefruit, lemon) and freshly sliced pear come through…albeit conservatively. The sweet malts become a little syrupy as well.
Flavour: A mirror image of the aroma – dank, resinous fleshy stone fruits and sweet stewy malts bolstered by a warming booze. Pithy grapefruit and lemon peel then rolls in to a dry and super bitter finish which goes for days.
Mouthfeel: Crisp, prickly and somewhat astringent. Medium body and assertive bitterness (100 IBU). The 9.5% ABV is also quite evident.
Overall: One of us is a real big fan of Semillon so it’s a bit of a shame that the wine features were a bit subdued. The imperial IPA side of it was good though… dank, hoppy but well balanced with a sweet malt base. Not really memorable but a decent drop.