I've never used anything but dry wine yeast for mead. I was curious if anyone had any strong opinions concerning this strain. Also, I'm not sure whether this needs a starter or not considering mead should be fairly easy to ferment.
I have used it with ok, but not stellar, results. Certainly not one of my favorite yeasts.
You say that mead should be fairly easy to ferment.... not necessarily so. Honey is low in nutrients to keep the yeast happy. A traditional mead can be problematic, whereas a melomel is less so since the fruits typically provide more nutrients. There are a number of approaches to this problem. A variety of yeast nutrients that can be added, including a small amount of light malt extract.