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A living legend and bespoke savant of the Australian wine industry, Geoff Merrill began his career in 1973 at Seppelt & Son, before completing tours of duty at Thomas Hardy and Chateau Reynella. Geoff acquired the historic Reynella wineworks in 1985 and has continued to craft many of McLaren Vale's most memorable vintages ever since. Mr Merrill has claimed countless industry accolades and many of our nation's most prestigious awards, including the hotly contested VISY Great Shiraz Challenge and the illustrious Jimmy Watson Trophy. Merrill offers a range of artisanal, limited release wines, of timely age, extravagant oak and sound value... The advanced age & luxury oak of mclaren vale's quiet achiever»
Marlborough viticulture owes much to the import of emigres from war torn Europe. Many were skilled fruit growers while others were passionate winemakers. They quickly discovered the magical affinity between aromatic white varietals and the mistral valleys of Te Wai Pounamu... Match a meal with maria»
Right across the road from Jasper Hill's Emily Paddock,a precious parcel of ancient terra rosa soil was acquired and planted to vine by a baronial Mornington estate, highly accomplished growers with a consuming aspiration to grow the finest Shirazin all Heathcote. They settled on a coveted site along Drummond's Lane, strewn with unique green Cambrian shards, a sacred place to yield the top growth amongst single vineyardHeathcote Shiraz. Decades later, the vintages remain excruciatingly measured in availability. Painstakingly hand made, arcanely labelled behind the monikers, Pressings, Block F and Block C, the cherished editions of Heathcote Estate represent.. The likely lads of drummond's lane»
Andrew Nugent grew up next door to the great historical wineworks at Penfolds Magill. He honed his craft as viticulturalist and vigneron amongst the illustrious wineries of old McLaren Vale. In the 1990s, Nugent planted new vines at Woodside along Bird In Hand Road, on the site of an ancient gold mine, a godsend of fortuitously fertile soils and magnificent mesoclimes for stellar quality Adelaide Hills wine. Bird In Hand have since amassed a breathtaking tally of international accolades for the unrivalled excellence of their superlative vintages, wonderfully small batch releases, with the magnificence of structure, seamlessness and immaculacy of fruit, to.. Vivid vintages from the tailings of adelaide hills»

Coriole Mary Kathleen Cabernet Merlot CONFIRM VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot McLaren Vale South Australia
Coriole was first developed by Geoffrey Kay, a distant relative of the Amery Vineyard Kays. Dr Hugh Lloyd GP sewed the vines which produce Mary Kathleen during a period when the fashion was to plant in contours around the local Seaview highlands. Named after the estate's matriarch, Mary Kathleen is crafted from three small blocks, originally planted in the 1960s. Perennially lauded and famously received, Mary Kathleen is generously mouthfilling with sweet fruit, earthy regional hints and complex spice.
Available in cases of 6
Case of 6
$353.50
The Seaview subregion of McLaren Vale generally has shallow soils which are red and brown earths with limestone and ironstone. This contrasts with deeper clays, sand and black biscay soils in other parts of McLaren Vale. Because the soils are shallow, controlled irrigation is critical for good flavour and colour by avoiding extreme stress. The soils at Coriole are about 80% terra rosa, that is red brown earths over limestone. Often this limestone has a capped shiny surface. Another area contails red earth with ironstone, and the oldest vineyard planted in 1920 is on deep clays. Two thirds or more of Cuvee Mary Kathleen is Cabernet Sauvignon, the balance in Merlot.
Deep plummy red colour. Aromatics of redcurrant, ripe mint and perfumed rose petals. With breathing, polished wood and a smokey cigar box aromas become evident. The palate shows bright fruit, lifted berries and blackcurrant supported by creamy textures. A brooding wine with structural tannin and good length, full of fruit and lovely soft tannins.
Coriole
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Coriole
Siituated in the hills north of the McLaren Vale township in an area known as the Seaview sub region, the Coriole winemaking operation was aquired and re-established by the Lloyd Family during the sixties

Coriole's old house and barn were constructed in about 1860. The slate roof of the old house, and its immense slate slab floors are typical of early houses of the district. Coriole was first owned by an English company, managed by Geoffrey Kay, a distant relative of the the Kays of nearby Amery Winery. Coriole's old shiraz vines were planted in 1919, when the district was experiencing a strong surge in export growth of its burgundy style wines to England and increasing wine sales interstate.

Coriole

The paths of Coriole and Seaview crossed in 1935, when the Kays bought Hope Farm. The Mannings had sold Hope Farm to the Cravens in 1891, and during World War I, the Craven's son was killed in action. In his grief, his father lost his mind, and the property was managed by his wife until 1935. In that year, she sold it to the Kays of Coriole, who ran both properties until 1948, when they sold to Edward Chaffey, and it became known as Seaview. In 1962, Coriole was sold to John Snell,who was of Swiss descent. Snell established Australia's first organic winery, Chateau Ban Sante. He farmed the original shiraz vines without chemical inputs, and built a small winery, which remains the nucleus of Coriole's modern winery today.

Hugh and Molly Lloyd acquired the property in 1968 and the first vintage release under the Coriole label was 1970. Hugh Lloyd (1914 - 1994) was a general practitioner in Adelaide's southern suburbs. The son of a Methodist minister, he had been raised in a teetotal Adelaide family, but had become very interested in wine in the 1950s. Molly Lloyd (nee Parsons 1914 - 1994) also had an enthusiasm for farming, as a member of the Parsons family who grew almonds and grapes and other fruit on the rich horticultural lands along the Sturt River in what is now suburban Oaklands Park in Adelaide.

Together, Hugh and Molly laid strong foundations for Coriole. Hugh Lloyd embarked on a development plan for the winery and vineyard, using the old shiraz vines to establish the reputation of the business, while equipping the winery with more modern technology. He was helped in the early years by winemaker Graeme Stevens, with Coriole winning the coveted Wine Bushing King and Queen title in both 1974 and 1975 for making the best shiraz wines in the McLaren Vale district.

Coriole

The 1980's were a relative quite time in the Australian wine industry. It was during this period that Coriole pioneered the development of Italian varieties by planting Sangiovese, which became the only Sangiovese produced in the country for many years. Also during this period Coriole was one of the first companies to release an extra virgin olive oil and start producing aged sweet vinegar - released each year after five years maturation.

As the 1990s developed, interest in wine boomed. This was reinforced by the increasing evidence of the health benefits of red wine. During the 1990's the winery expanded its markets both in Australia and overseas. Winemakers at Coriole have included Robert Paul, Stephen Hall and since 1999 Grant Harrison. Paul Lloyd,the youngest sibling of the Lloyd family, became business manager in 1993. Today, Coriole employs eleven full time staff, and crushes more than 500 tonnes a year.

The winemaking at Coriole is preceded by thorough assessment of wine styles and the wine plans for each vintage. This process involves many members of staff, including managing director Mark Lloyd. The aim is to maintain Coriole’s tradition of producing premium full-bodied red wines from McLaren Vale, focusing on Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon. However, we are also enthusiastic about the ambitious plans for Sangiovese at the winery and its potential to produce such a contrasting style to Shiraz.

Coriole carries its tendency for innovation and experimentation into winemaking as well. Often this involves the evaluation of different vineyards. However, each vintage is an opportunity to experiment with new techniques and evaluate their role in achieving the Coriole wine style. Most commonly very traditional techniques are used. Red wines are mainly open fermented in stainless steel or old wax lined concrete tanks. Ferments are hand plunged 2 and 3 times a day with warm but controlled ferments. New oak is used in some red wines but usually only after prior experimental use has established the appropriate role of the oak. Many wines are such as Sangiovese and Redstone are specifically matured in older oak to gain maturity but with mimimum contribution of oak extract in the wine. The ageing potential of these wines is not compromised in any way.

Coriole