Beechworth attracts the most artisanal winemakers, the region's rich mineral soils and parched, undulating terrains, breed wines of vigorous flavour, crystalline textures and boney savoury tannins. The first parcel of Crown Land in the region was acquired by Isaac Phillips in 1857, he christened his estate Golden Ball and built a hotel named Honeymooners Inn, servicing miners on their way up the steep trails to the Beechworth goldfields. The old pub remains but the surrounding land has been turned over to viticulture, planted to vine in the nineteen naughties, it produces a quality of wine that's reserved for the nation's most exclusive winelists. Served by savvy sommeliers and savoured by the most discerning patrons, the limited releases of Golden Ball are an essential..
Small batches of beechworth's best»
An ongoing resurrection of some fabulous old vines, a distinguished Blewitt Springs site and a range of the most spectacular McLaren Vale wines. When Kelly and Bondar acquired Rayner Vineyard in 2013, they knew that everything depended on the management of site and soil to achieve the excellence of wine they had in mind. The most fastidious husbanding regimens and a tightly scheduled evolution towards organic viticulture, the propitious Rayner vines have never yielded finer harvests, all translating into a tour de force across the entire Bondar range. Salient quality and penurious pricing make for a compelling mix. Old vines grown to salubrious soils, the harvest timed to perfection, a precision picking of fruit at just the right hour of day, aimed at capturing and bottling..
Model mclaren macerations»
Rich, ripe dark berry fruit complemented by layers of spice, dried herbs and chocolate. Penny's Hill was declared Australia's Best Boutique Wine in 2006 and Australia's Best Boutique Shiraz in 2007... More»
Mid weight palate with some Cabernet cedar up front that leads to soft Shiraz richness. The first block of Brokenwood vines ever planted were on a cricket pitch... More»
Lively upfront lemon zest with a slatey minerality not normally seen from this vineyard. Daniel James Wilson would write DJW rules on school book covers, desks, garden edgings and wet concrete whenever the opportunity... More»
Hints of black cherry, plum and a caramel sweetness are embedded within the many layers of complexity. The Edwards are a well established family of agriculturalists with a long history of farming McLaren Vale for generations... More»
On the palate are pronounced red berry fruits, mineral and earth, leather, sap and a touch of spicy oak. The inaugural vintage at Picardy produced a single Pinot Noir... More»
Palate is mid weight, yet suprisingly supple and rich. Pinot Noir is the most temperamental of wine grape varieties and remains the ultimate challenge for many makers... More»
Right next to the Merry Widow Inn at Glenrowan, infamous of Kelly gang folklore, Richard Bailey set up shop to service prospectors during the great Victorian gold rush of the 1860s. Rows of newly planted Shiraz soon followed and the Baileys released their first vintage in 1870. The region was ultimately infected by the terrible vine killing plague of the 1890s, a guarded blessing for Glenrowan, which elevated the quarantine status of its vitiated vineyards to a marque of the highest provenance. Baileys endure as one of the new world's most arcane and mythical wineworks, a small estate of historically significant parcels, producing limited vintages, defined by their exceptional value, purity of parentage and wondrous regional..
The bushranger's brew»
After hearing tall tales of the Victorian klondike, he jumped ship and made his way to the Castlemaine goldfields. Black Jack mined no fortune but he found his fame as the only American mariner to still be savoured alongside have claimed the eminent M.Chapoutier Trophy for Best Shiraz at the prestigious Le Concours des Vinson on no fewer than three occasions...
Found berth in the australian colonies during the goldrush of the 1850s»