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Henry Best was a highly industrious merchant and butcher who serviced Ararat miners during the Victorian gold rush. He planted thirty hectares of vine along Concongella Creek in 1866 and constructed a commercial cellar wineworks which continue to process the most spectacular vintages until the present day. The heirloom plantings of Henry Best remain productive, as some of the most historically significant rootstock in the world. Home of the Jimmy Watson 2012 Trophy, Royal Sydney 2013 Australian Wine Of Year, James Halliday 2014 Wine of Year, Distinguished and Outstanding Langtons Classifications. Remarkable for a style that's all their own, chiselled, brooding and black. Best's Great Western endures as one of the new world's most preeminent, yet bewilderingly soft spoken viticultural estates. Just quietly, the wines are conspicuously under priced and of exceptional value... Carn the concongella cabernet»
By those wonderful folks who bring us Shaw & Smith. Tolpuddle was planted to vine in 1988, on a highly precious site along Back Tea Tree Road, just outside of Hobart. The inaugural vintage claimed Tasmanian Vineyard of Year in 2006. The illustrious Messrs Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith acquired the property in 2011, with a view to elevating the excruciatingly limited release Tolpuddle to the status of a national Grand Cru. A singular experience in new world Pinot Noir, Tolpuddle unravels endless layers of pastoral complexity, powerfully structured yet elegant, immaculate and poised... From little vineyards great wines grow»

Irvine Estate Merlot CONFIRM VINTAGE

Merlot Eden Barossa South Australia
Crafted by one of Australia's most accomplished, highly specialized handlers of Merlot, assembled from components that are shared with the estate's Grand Merlot flagship. Very much a new world wine crafted with old world exactitude, offering generous helpings of varietal plum and chocolate spice. Irvine's entry level Merlot is fashioned for everyday enjoyment at a hard to find level of sophistication.
Available in cartons of six
Case of 6
$167.50
An assemblage from the estate's elite Springhill vineyard, Bartholomaeus in the Eden Valley and richer, earthy wines of the southern Barossa, all contributing to the style and character. Crafted to the same standards and painstaking vinification techniques as the flagship Irvine Grand Merlot, flavour ripeness is critical, crush and fermentation systems are closely managed. The finished wine is matured in older casks with less obvious French Allier oak, with a touch of aromatic spiciness on the bouquet.
Purple red colour. Coffee bean, green olive over plum and dark chocolate bouquet. Rounded palate, big, soft tannins with magnificent fruit in the middle. All the style to evolve beautifully, a flowing plummy bouquet with red cherry, plum and ripe raspberry flavours. The Barossa Valley Merlot contributes length, weight and complexity while the cool climate Eden Valley portion has given elegance and style. Irvine recommend decanting at least one hour prior to serving.
Irvine
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Irvine
Irvine represents a super-premium wine brand, a gorgeous vineyard in Eden Valley, South Australia, a truly exciting dream and above all, a grand experience in wine

Irvine is a family name and a family business - the name at the front of the years of hard work and dedication put in by all at Springhill in the Eden Valley, Jim and Marjorie Irvine and winemaker daughter Joanne.

Irvine

Never in 1959 did James Irvine ever think he would one day own his own property in the ranges above the Eden Valley of South Australia. At that time he was with Thomas Hardy & Sons and was responsible for the purchase of grapes from the Eden Valley area for the production of the famous Siegersdorf Riesling. The area greatly impressed the young Jim Irvine, and he dreamed of some day being able to plant his own vineyard there.

Right from the start quality in all aspects of viticulture, winemaking and packaging has been the driving force, and the Irvine Merlots are already recognised the world over as being equal to the finest produced anywhere in Australia. Total dedication to the task and a willingness to fully age wines in Irvines' own maturation system together with a serious and determined approach, has resulted in wines of extraordinary style, depth of flavour, and intensity of varietal character seldom seen.

Hans Irvine (a distant relative) established Great Western, Australia's greatest sparkling wine cellars in 1888. His philosophy to provide sparkling wines and table wines of the highest quality and prestige style was proven and now another Irvine carries this philosophy on in a different way. This Irvine approach has not come overnight. Winemaking experience covers nearly forty years, with Hardy's Siegersdorf, Krondorf, Normans and Lakewood, each having sparkling wine and premium table wine production involved in their overall winemaking.

Irvine

The Irvine Winery's Springhill vineyard has its own terroir - its location, climate, the Barossan culture plus the modern Australian winemaker interpretation of classic styles, pristine varietal expression, and rarity, and we have an understanding of just what this means. Springhill is composed of acid soils, gravels mostly, and later ripening fruit resultant from cooler autumn temperatures.

The good natural rainfall, the high level drainage and the tough growing conditions all come together to give this terroir or regionality. With these then comes the Baronssan character of the vineyard staff. Their care, understanding, love of vineyards and high work ethic bonds together the natural elements and truly completes Springhill terroir. The wines reflect this most clearly in Grand Merlot, Pinot Gris, Zinfandel, Chardonnay and, when on their own, the Eden Crest Merlot portions. Long flavours, multiple nuances, slightly tighter finish, longevity also comes from these conditions of terroir.

Environmentally Springhill vineyard is operated on the minimal input system (MIP) where no spraying takes place as a routine program. Insect and disease monitoring picks up any problems and this then is assessed with no action unless absolutely necessary and then only on a minimum basis.

James Irvine has been winemaker, wine stylist, project manager, wine consultant and marketer of wine at senior levels. He feels that this offers more understanding of the consumers' needs and a wider appreciation of the responsibilities that the winemaker must have towards the consumer. As can be seen from his CV he has been involved in industry matters as well.

Irvine