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World's Best Cabernet*»
The 1890s brought boom years to the nascent Aussie wine industry, as connoisseurs throughout Europe and the Empire were introduced to the Dionysian delights of new world Claret by Tyrrell, St Huberts and Wirra Wirra. An enterprising family of Scots took heed of the times to plant grapevines on a uniquely auspicious block in Valley Clare, they called it St Andrew and produced forty vintages of the most sensational quality Claret until the 1930s. The Taylor family acquired the fallow farm in 1995 and brought St Andrew's vines back to life. The treasured block endures as home to the flagship range of Taylor wines, one of the most distinguished vineyards in all Australia. St Andrew's Cabernet was adjudicated by Union de la Sommellerie Française as Best Cabernet Wine in the World at Concours International des Cabernets... *according to the french»

Alta Vineyards Alta Adelaide Hills Shiraz CONFIRM VINTAGE

Shiraz Adelaide Hills South Australia
It has taken Alta years of nurture to see their Shiraz vines come of age, when only the best fruit will do, you need to be patient. Fashioned to a style so evocative of southern France, crafted with a view to retaining natural perfumes, employing a regimen of extended macerations, whole bunches and small, open vessel ferments, to achieve a supple palate offering great depth of fruit, seamless tannin structure and persistence. Finely structured, elegant and defined, Alta brings the excellence of Adelaide Hills Shiraz to a place of old world eloquence.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$263.00
Regular vineyard assessments leading up to harvest ensure that Shiraz is harvested when the flavours are at their optimal intensity. Fruit is all hand picked and treated to ten days of cold soak, a parcel is included as whole bunches. A course of daily hand plunges in a small, open fermenter release the tannins and infuse flavour. Upon completion, the ferments are filled to a well seasoned, larger format, four tonnes oak cask for a judicious term of maturation.
Deep purple. Vibrant rose petal and white pepper perfumes, earthyness and cacao. Supple tannins in support of a seamless palate, a sensory adventure of fresh raspberry fruit characters, the savouryness of black pepper, chocolate chips and mint, a balance of freshness and acidity, persistence, elegance and sound structure through to the finish.
Alta Vineyards
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Alta Vineyards
Winemaker Sarah Fletcher, had a very clear vision for Alta from day one

Sarah wanted to showcase South Australia's Adelaide Hills as an outstanding cool climate wine region, selecting specific varieties and handpicking quality fruit. This has allowed her to create fresh, varietal wine styles with depth and obvious regional character. "My aim is to produce wines from varieties that thrive in the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills, each showing strong varietal character and distinctive regional expression."

Alta Vineyards

In February 2005, Sarah became involved with Alta and took on the position of Winemaker. The 2005 vintage was her first, which followed the successful 2003 and 2004 releases. Four years at Adelaide University's Roseworthy Campus studying Oenology and seven years working for Orlando Wyndham as both red and white winemaker, producing wines from all over Australia, was enough to convince Sarah that the Adelaide Hills is an outstanding and distinctive wine region.

Working at Orlando gave Sarah the opportunity to work alongside many industry legends, such as John Vickery and Philip Laffer. Her knowledge and experience lead her to pursue her dream of owning her own brand. Of all the wine regions, she was most impressed by the uniqueness and potential of the Adelaide Hills so, when approached in 2005 to take on Alta, she jumped at the chance. Since then, Sarah has produced a consistently award winning Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to releasing three new varietals; Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Rosé.

Wine grapes were first planted in the Adelaide Hills in 1839. Situated east of Adelaide, the long and narrow Adelaide Hills wine region runs through the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is one of South Australia's largest wine regions, stretching from the edge of the Barossa and Eden Valleys in the north, to the boundaries of McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek in the south.

Alta Vineyards

The region is renowned for its variation in mesoclimates, with topograpy ranging from gently rolling hills to deep gullies with steep slopes. The majority of vineyards lie within an altitude of 400 - 700 metres with average rainfall 1,250mm. The altitude and steep topography have a major cooling effect on climate, which along with high rainfall, lend themselves to the production of earlier ripening, cool climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.

Alta Vineyards