Graeme Melton and a mate were travelling across South Australia in 1973, their EH Holden was in dire need of maintenance and Graeme took up casual work at a passing winery. The site supervisor was Peter Lehmann and young Graeme had his epiphany on the road to Barossa Valley. Lehmann suggested that Graeme change his name to Charlie and take the pilgrimmage to Vallee Rhone. Charlie became prepossessed with the culture of old vines Grenache, Shiraz and Mourverdre. He returned to the Barossa, at a time when old vineyard fruit was made into flagon Port and growers were destroying their historic sites in return for government grants. Charlie emabarked on a crusade to conserve and restore the ancient vines, establishing his cellars at Tanunda along Krondorf Road. He has since retained the most..
Melton makes a mean mourvedre»
There are few family names in the Australian wine industry as eminent and enduring as Glaetzer and Potts, they own and operate many of the oldest and most precious vineyards in Langhorne Creek. John Glaetzer was right hand man to the legendary Wolf Blass throughout the breathtaking sequence of Black Label Jimmy Watson victories. Ben Potts learned his trade at the oldest family owned wineworks in Australia Bleasdale, established by the larger than life Frank Potts in 1858. Ben's great grandfather was the first Langhorne Creek grower to supply grapes to Wolf Blass. The Glaetzer and Potts families have collaborated for decades to achieve many of the nation's most memorable vintages. Together, Ben Potts and John Glaetzer work quietly behind the scenes on a softly spoken brand named Gipsie..
Vital vintages from the most precious parcels»
Restrained chocolate oak behind a complexity of dried fruit characters. An exclusively Strathbogie Ranges Shiraz, most of the grapes come from Rocky Hill Block at Whitegate, with a further component... More»
Crisp and refreshing palate brimming with layers of fruit, grassy notes, minerality and complexity provide interest. Mike Press is one of the nation's most experienced winemakers... More»
The palate is mouth filling with rich satsuma plums and blackberry fruits, dark chocolate and aniseed. From time to time, Wirra Wirra produces wines from very small parcels of extremely intense, high quality fruit... More»
A multi layered palate of wild piquant raspberries, red licorice wick and frais de bois, dark anise tannins and sasafras oak in support of the textural, weight of fruit. Dan Buckle and Aaron Drummond are Mornington born and bred... More»
Fragrant varietal lift with bright red fruit aromatics of raspberry and plum. Church Block was the first wine which the late Greg Trott produced under the Wirra Wirra label back in 1972... More»
White stone fruit flavours and savoury, toasted nuts complexity around a solid core of fruit, the oak is beautifully handled. M3 Chardonnay is sourced exclusively from a single site, the Shaw+Smith M3 property at Woodside, named after the three partners... More»
Lured to Australia by Alfred Deakin in 1887, the Chaffey Brothers were American irrigation engineers who took up a challenge to develop the dust bowls ofRenmark and Mildura into fruit growing wonderlands. They left our nation an extraordinary legacy and their progeny continue to make good wine. Several generations later, the Chaffey Bros are focused on the fruit of some grand old Barossa and Eden Valley sites. Chosen harvests of extraordinary grapes are the ticket for admission into the exclusive club of Chaffey vineyards. Shiraz is made in several different styles and there's a penchant for obscure white varietals in the Mosel River way. They make wine according to the art of the Parfumier, nothing is bottled unless it represents a profound experience in aromatic complexity. The transcendental excellence of superior little parcels,..
A splendour of salient sites»
Somewhere near the Seaview end of McLaren Vale's Chapel Hill Road, a perfunctory passerine perched her pincers astride a pair of power poles and saw herself alit. Down she went amongst the dry grown branches of an old Grenache vineyard, setting the valuable veterans ablaze. The scorched site eventually came to the attention of a winemaking trio, the Messrs Leske, Tynan & Cooke, Masters of Wine and a venerable vintner, all driven by a consuming passion to make greater Grenache. Thistledown vintage very small amounts of the most extraordinary Grenache. Beautifully detailed and conspicuously elegant, their floral bouquets and graceful finish emulate the aromatic lift and peacock's tail of a prettily perfumed Pinot Noir. Magnificent to savour as a captivating aperitif, a bliss alongside fine cuisine, the Grenache of Thistledown represent..
Polly & the pyre to paradise»