Casley Mount Hutton Winery had it’s beginnings in 1996 when eight different varieties were planted on the property. When Grant and Sonya bought the 900 acre property it was an unimproved block, so they have built the vineyard and the winery from the ground up. The cellar door was opened in August 2001. At 900 metres above sea level this is one of the more elevated vineyards in the region.
Grant and Sonya are a lovely couple very passionate about their wine and The Granite Belt in general. The cellar door experience is relaxed and congenial, you can taste through the range while Grant or Sonya beguile you with stories of their Granite Belt experiences and wine knowledge.
There is a unique experience awaiting anyone who visits Casely Mount Hutton cellar door – aged Granite Belt wine. Have a look at the list HERE and you’ll see a current wine list that contains some wines in excess of 10 years age.
Current release reds are in excess of 10 years and there is a truly magnificent aged Verdelho. If you are not familiar with how well Granite Belt wines made to age do respond to the call then a visit to Casely Mount Hutton is a must do educational experience because cellaring style Granite Belt wines will cellar well beyond 10 years, for good GB wines 25 years isn’t an especially ambitious target particularly if you enjoy the tertiary flavours.
On Thursday evening, 24th October 2019 at The Magnificent Seven event I tasted a 2008 Shiraz and a 2008 Cabernet Sauvignon estate wines made by Grant Casely. 2008 was quite a cool vintage on the Granite Belt and many of the red wines in their infancy were just a little hard edged, white pepper is often another quality of the cooler vintage reds. For the uninitiated these young wines may present as less enjoyable but the secret is to notice the structure, they’re not unbalanced they just take time to truly blossom. Both the 2008 Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon were lovely drinking and with some years of life ahead of them. They had good fruit weight, complexity and acid minerality still driving the wine to excellent length.
I also tasted a 2010 Verdelho. This is a variety that does very well on the Granite Belt and I knew, from previous experience, it can age well. I wasn’t quite prepared for how well this 2010 wine had aged. It isn’t a fresh, pristine style with crisp acid and I doubt that it was originally made that way, instead this is a wine with great complexity and flavour. I can’t recall tasting a verdelho quite like this elsewhere. For this style of verdelho it’s the best example I have ever encountered and, properly cellared, has years to go.
The Wines
Red Wines:
• Shiraz | • Cabernet Sauvignon | • Pinot Noir Rosé
White Wines:
• Chardonnay | • Chenin Blanc | • Pinot Gris | • Verdelho | • Viognier
Others:
• Muscadello (sweet) | • Fiesta Tinto ( sweet light red) | • Fiesta Blanco (sweet light white) | • Liqueur Muscat
Details
Location: 94 Mount Hutton Road, Greenlands 4380.
Hours: Friday to Monday – 9:30 to 4:30pm.
Call Grant and Sonya 
0427099981
Casley Mount Hutton Wines Web Site
Casley Mount Hutton Wines – Grant third from left – is one of seven local vineyards who have formed a group called The Magnificent Seven Wine Makers. These are vineyards which are owned by the person who is also the viticulturist and vintner – owner, grower and wine maker if you prefer. Once each year the group show their wines on an evening in Brisbane. This is a wonderful opportunity to sample a range of excellent Granite Belt wines where you can also chat to the wine makers concerned. The current venue is Victoria Park Golf Complex. I cannot recommend this event to strongly to winelovers everywhere, it’s a great night. The pours are most generous and they often seem to increase as the night progressses. A range of very tasty canapes appears approximately thirty minutes after the wine tasting begins and they keep coming for around 45 minutes. The Facebook page is here:
