Mount View sits in the hills south-west of Pokolbin, where the vineyards run up the slopes of the Brokenback Range instead of across the valley floor. The soil here is red volcanic basalt rather than the loam below, and the height gives several cellar doors a long view back over the valley. You reach it on Mount View Road out of Cessnock, a climbing, winding drive.
The wineries are old and few. Vines were planted on these slopes from the early 1970s, and Semillon, Shiraz and Chardonnay are the mainstays. Bistro Molines, one of the Hunter’s hatted restaurants, is up here too, so lunch is a good reason to come as much as the wine.
It’s a climb and a detour from the flat Pokolbin roads, so Mount View works best as a planned half-day. Check opening days before you commit to the drive, because there are fewer cellar doors and some open only part of the week.
