It was a matrimony between an American biochemist and the founder of Margaret River Devils Lair, that set the scene for one of the nation's most illustrious estates. A member of the Top 1OO Wineries of World, Giant Steps were established 1997, with a view to assembling an elite range of limited release Yarra Valley vintages. Crafted from the fruit of superior sites, some yielding just a few hundred cases each year, these are exclusive editions from bespoke parcels of elite terroir, bearing the curiously cryptic monikers of precious blocks of vine, Gruyere Farm, Applejack and Wombat Creek. Fashioned for aficianados of the euro style, defined by their winsome fruit and graceful tannins, the Giant Steps single.. Big wines from little vineyards»

One of the Australian west's most enduring marques, the illustrious vineyards of Howard Park are now in their fourth and fifth decade. Langton's Listed and recipient of the most prestigious accolades, Grande Medialle d'Or Concours Mondial and London International Wine & Spirits Competition. Howard Park were established from the ground up with a strict adherence to sustainable, holistic viticulture. Planted to sheep studs along Margaret River's Wilyabrup Creek, drawing fruit from the oldest Cabernet vines on Mount Barker, renowned for opulence and structure, they continue to deliver a range of superlative single vineyard bottlings with each vintage... The virtuous vines of howard park»

Airline pilots make surprisingly good wine. Their appreciation of the sciences, a respect for the weather and a bird's eye view of the land, all invaluable to the winemaker's art. John Ellis would take every opportune weekend away from his regular New York Paris route, to pursue a passion for viticulture. He planted the first commercial Cabernet Merlot vines in the Hamptons and found time between trans atlantic flights to work vintages amongst the Grand Cru vineyards of La Bourgogne. Ellis ultimately made the great lifelong sea change in favour of our land downunder. He settled on a farmstead outside Leongatha, amongst the slow ripening pastures of Gippsland and established a vineyard called Bellvale. It is now.. Placing pinot amongst the pastures»

Established 1976, Clairault are one of the pioneering estates on Margaret River. A tastefully limited range, from elite vineyards within the very dress circle of prestigious wineries at the heart of Margaret River's most illustrious precincts, Wilyabrup, Yallingup and Karridale. These are the dearest winegrowing terroirs in the Australian west, a place of auspicious soils and stimulating climes, the motherlode of environmentals which yield the most august vintages on the continent. The team at Clairault take a decidedly pastoral approach, biodynamically grown and environmentally sound, a sanctuary to native flora and fauna, their vineyards are managed to a completely natural agriculture. So exclusive are the wines of Clairault, that they can be hard to find,.. The kindly cabernet of clairault»

Halls Gap Vineyard was planted 1969, along the steep eastern slopes and parched rocky crags of Grampians Ranges, at the very beginning of a renaissance in Victorian viticulture. Since early establishment in the 1860s by the noble Houses of Seppelt and Bests, the region had earned the most elite peerage, a provenance of extraordinary red wines, bursting with bramble opulence and lined with limousin tannins. The Halls Gap property had long been respected as a venerable supplier to the nation's most illustrious brands. Seppelt and Penfolds called on harvests from Halls Gap for their finest vintages. Until 1996, when it was acquired by the late, great Trevor Mast, who was very pleased to bottle Hall Gap's fruit behind the exhalted label of Mt Langi Ghiran. Halls.. Land of the fallen giants»

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.. Polly & the pyre to paradise»