The Wine Barossa Valley Marananga Shiraz 2016

Hand selected and hand picked fruit was used for this wine and it underwent fermentation in stainless steel open top fermenters, and was pumped over twice a day, the wine was pressed then transferred to new hogshead barrels where it completed its malolactic fermentation. The wine was topped regularly and racked once whilst maturing in barrel.

The Colonial Estate Exile Barossa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Sourced from a small block in the Seppeltsfield region of the Barossa. The vines that make up Exile were pruned severely and as a result of this and minimal water they produce extremely small yields. Exile grapes are all hand picked and the grapes are selected in individual batches by winemaker and vigneron. The grapes are harvested then transported to the winery where they are de-stemmed and crushed individually to small static fermenters. Fermentation was brought on by the use of select yeast strains and the temperatures peaked at 28 degrees before chilling back to 20 degrees for the completion of fermentation. The fermenters were pumped over 3 times daily to ensure the perfect amount of colour and tannin was extracted from the skins. A small percentage of Cabernet Sauvignon was allowed to stay on skins for a week of additional maceration after the ferments were complete. The batches were then pressed into new French barrels where they under went malolatic fermentation and are then aged for 18 months before final barrel selection, blending and bottled with minimal filtration.

Gnadenfrei Estate St Michaels Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016

Despite well below average rainfall and warm conditions during the growing season, our vines produced another outstanding vintage. Heavy rainfall in late January followed by ongoing mild days and cool nights allowed ideal ripening conditions. The fruit then matured with an early harvest. The resultant 2016 wines are outstanding and feature lifted pure red fruit characteristics, savoury tannins, great depth of flavour and sheer colour intensity. Select Old Vine Barossa Shiraz sourced from vines aged 50-80 years were used in this wine. Traditional winemaking techniques were employed and the fruit was handled in a gentle hands off approach to ensure the vineyard remained the hero. This Shiraz was matured for 16 months in 1 and 2 year old oak hogshead barrels (75% French 15% American). 

Upon release allow the wine to breathe for at least a couple of hours, this wine is built to last and should drink well for the next 10-15 years.

The Grail Of Lisa McLaren Vale Old Vines Shiraz 2017

Sourced from a small vineyard from a block aged 60 years plus. Small bunches ensured fruit purity and intensity, which is a key requirement for this wine. The fruit is picked and crushed into old vats where fermentation began via the addition of wild yeasts found on grape skins. Careful extraction and short post ferment maceration is followed by basket pressing. The wine under went malolactic fermentation in American oak and then was aged in the same oak with some skins added back to add further fruit character and ensure the fruit flavour was as intense as possible to ensure it was not over whelmed by oak but complimented by it. Bottled with minimal filtration or fining. 

A wine which will benefit immensely with time in the cellar to settle and develop. It will have a great lifespan of around 10 years.

Western Barossa Wines Barossa Valley GSM 2016

We hand picked a small section of Grenache from Block 4 rows 7-23, Shiraz from block 5 rows 1-12 and block 8 rows 3-9 to created a style of wine guided by the fruit initially. We wanted a wine driven by fruit yet surrounded in a bed of spicy flavours and tannin therefore selected these small sections as the fruit produced dark berry flavours with wonderful spice characters which would infiltrate not be overwhelmed by second and third use oak. The fruit was transferred to the winery and the fruit was combined together to ensure it worked harmoniously through the entire winemaking process; macerated for an extended period with seeds and stems to allow us to give a vision of the vineyard in the final wine. The wine was left in this state for 30 days and hand plunged which ensured we extracted all the colour, aromas and tannin we could. Basket pressed into barrel again allowed us to continue the hands off method and ensure fruit purity was key again this ensures longevity. The wine was not topped during its 256 days it spent in barrel then finally it received minimal filtration and fining. This wine illustrates just how beautiful a wine from the warm Wild West can be, in a word moreish.

A wine, which will appear beautifully, round and lavish if drunk upon release whilst the oak tannins provide a backbone, which will ensure drinking over the next decade will not be a problem.

Bleasdale Langhorne Crossing Red Blend 2014

During the 1840's, Alfred Langhorne drove his cattle overland to the Adelaide markets and, in the area known as Langhorne Creek, he rested his herds on the rich,fertile floodplains of the creek. In the 1850's, as land was settled, the natural occurrence of the annual winter floods was harnessed and today, 160 years later, this system of banks and floodgates is still used to water the vineyards. The terroir of this alluvial floodplain gives us the complex red wines with soft tannins for which Langhorne Creek is know worldwide.

De-stemmed & crusher to open fermenters. Pumped over up to 4 times daily during peak fermentation. Drain & pressed after 11 to 15 days on skins, settled for 24 hours before racking to oak for MLF.

Borgo Al Passo Sangiovese Merlot IGT Toscana 2016

The Nistri family are Sangiovese specialists and Corte Al Passo is a wine made in the ancient 'Governo’ style; meaning that a small proportion of the grapes are dried before being added to the wine in November - just like Amarone.

Two collections are made; the first occurs in the first week of September, the other in the second decade of October in order to increase the sugars and make a slight overripe. 

The grapes are carefully de-stemmed in modern stainless steel tanks, with maceration on the skins for an average duration of 25-30 days at a temperature of about 26 ° C. It ages in second-cycle barriques for 6 months and a further 6- month aging in bottle. 

Located at an altitude of 300 meters s.l.m. with south / west exposure. Vineyards of new and old plant with an average density of 5,000 plants per hectare. 

Varieties: 85% Sangiovese 15% Merlot 

Lunch Like Its Your Last Coonawarra Cabernet Sauvignon Nv

Sourced from a single vineyard in the Terra Rossa soils of Coonawarra, the fruit is picked at dawn by hand then sorted by bunch and run through the destemmer. Fermentation is conducted in large oak vats, followed by malolactic fermentation and ageing in a combination of Old and new American Hogsheads to preserve more fruit flavour.

Mary Davine Wines Barossa Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

Planted in 1970 (48 years ago) Only local knowledge, a firm hand-shake deal and an outrageous cash exchange allowed us to secure a small parcel this sumptuous fruit. And even then I have to keep it secret. If the other producers find out the vineyard owner will be in trouble and that the end of the fruit.

The unique micro-climate ensures long slow flavour development. Delivering an intensity of concentration and length rarely found anywhere else in the Barossa.

The fruit is harvested in the cool of the night to retain flavour and freshness before destemming and inoculation with specific rare yeast – a Italian strain that specifically ferments at cool temperatures.

It only serves to enhance the natural fruit flavours.

The ferments are undertaken in traditional 1 ton open fermenters for 8 days, each day the fruit is hand plunged pushing the skins under the fermenting juice to assist in great colour and flavour development of the wine. Once a day the juice is drained from the fermenter and then returned over the skins. With approximately 2 Baume the fermenting wine is drained from the fermenter and the skins basket pressed by hand. Total extraction is limited to a maximum of 500 litres per ton – extremely lower compared to an industry average of 750 litres per ton.

The fermenting wine is gravity transferred into a mixture of new and 3 year old French and American hogsheads to complete primary fermentation and malolactic fermentation. Upon completion the wine is racked and returned to mature for a minimum period of 21 months.