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A living legend and bespoke savant of the Australian wine industry, Geoff Merrill began his career in 1973 at Seppelt & Son, before completing tours of duty at Thomas Hardy and Chateau Reynella. Geoff acquired the historic Reynella wineworks in 1985 and has continued to craft many of McLaren Vale's most memorable vintages ever since. Mr Merrill has claimed countless industry accolades and many of our nation's most prestigious awards, including the hotly contested VISY Great Shiraz Challenge and the illustrious Jimmy Watson Trophy. Merrill offers a range of artisanal, limited release wines, of timely age, extravagant oak and sound value... The advanced age & luxury oak of mclaren vale's quiet achiever»
There's a vineyard at Moorooduc in upper Mornington, planted to a splendid north facing slope which captures the maximum warmth of sunshine each day. Refreshed after nightfall by the invigorating maritime winds off Bass Strait and Port Phillip Bay, it's a place of exceptional winegrowing. Populated by ten unique Burgundy clones, this very special block of vine grew the only Pinot Noir ever to claim our nation's highest accolade for great red wines, the Jimmy Watson Memorial Trophy. The property continues to yield limited releases of outstanding vintages, it's a place of exacting viticulture and uncompromising pursuit of excellence, cherished by cognoscenti and exalted by industry press, the vineyard known as Yabby Lake... The burgundy clones of mornington»
Jack Mann reigns eternal as the greatest winemaker in the history of the Australian west. Jack Mann's son Tony grew up amongst the vineyards of Houghton but took a keener interest in things Cricket. He exelled at both pursuits but is best remembered as the legendary leg spinner Tony Rocket Mann. During his off seasons away from the pitch, Tony would plant parcels of vine alongside his illustruious father Jack and his own young son Robert. The fully grown Robert now makes his own wine, from fruit of the very vines sown by Jack and Tony Mann. Robert learned from his grandfather that great winemaking required a spiritual oneness with nature. The birds and the bees play a pivotal role in achieving a harvest of the most personable grapes. The ultimate quality of the ferments are decided by the character of yeasts as they.. Whence the west was won»

Kay Brothers Griffons Key Reserve Grenache CONFIRM VINTAGE

Grenache McLaren Vale South Australia
The Heritage listed Kay Brothers Amery celebrated its first grape crush in 1895 and is the oldest McLaren Vale winery still in founding family hands. The precious vineyards are planted exclusively to cuttings from the original 1892 Block 6 Shiraz site. The Block 6 clone, from which all Kay Brothers Amery Shiraz vines are derived, is unique in that it consistently provides fruit that makes superior, long lived wines. A fully approachable Shiraz with massive concentration of fruit, by a cult winery which continues to deliver world class wine.
Available in cartons of six
Case of 6
$305.50
Bordering St. Vincents Gulf, Amery Vineyards grace the rolling foothills of the Southern Mt. Lofty Ranges. Amery Shiraz is a gutsy, entry level Kay Brothers wine of pedigree and lineage, for those who love big, full bodied, fruit driven, tooth staining McLaren Vale reds. What a pleasure it is for the team to handle fruit of this quality, the grapes are just so winemaker friendly. Vinified to a combination of ancient old world techniques including open fermentation and passage through an eighty year old basket press, a gentle and highly traditional process which achieves a rich, soft palate. The finished wine was placed in American oak barriques to develop complexity over the next year and a half.
Colour is a deep ruby red. A nose of dark cherry, blackberry, mint, white pepper, vanilla bean and caraway seed. Round and generous fleshy fruit, rich with plums, blackberry and mulberries, cedar, spices and truffle. A balanced, tight acidity together with soft integrated tannins shows good complexity and palate persistence. A wine of rich silken fruit, soft layered persistent tannins, finely pitched acidity and subtle vanillin oak influence, decanting for at least an hour is recommended.
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Kay Brothers
Bordering St. Vincents Gulf, 40 kms south of Adelaide, Amery Vineyards grace the rolling foothills of the Southern Mt. Lofty Ranges

In the early 1850's Richard Baker Aldersey bought several sections of land 6 kms north of McLaren Vale in a hilly area near Hope Farm (Seaview). He built a fine ironstone house and named the property Amery, after his birthplace Amery Farm near Alton, in Hampshire, England. The land was partly cleared until Amery was acquired by William Hammond junior, whose father owned the adjacent Hambledon Farm where he settled after quitting his sugar plantation in Jamaica. In 1886 young William Hammond planted out the original seven acres of vineyard at Amery, but for the main part he ran the 339 acre property as a farm, raising cattle and sheep, cereal crops, soft fruits and vegetables. In 1890 the Amery property was bought by the Kay Brothers, Herbert and Frederick, and they finally came into possession on February 2nd 1891.

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Five months later Bert and Fred carted in vine cuttings from Tintara; 25,800 Shiraz, 5,000 Riesling, 10,000 Carbenet, and began planting the fallow paddocks. There is a meticulously kept diary for every year that the Kay Family has been at Amery. They give not only detailed vintage records and weather information, but also a host of day-to-day insights into the tremendous physical effort people put into working and living in those early days.

On Friday 15th July 1892 they recorded: "W.H. Craven offered to supply Carbenet and Malbec cuttings at 10/- per thousand." Tuesday 19th July "T. Hardy called - agreed to buy 900 white Hermitage vines from him." Wednesday 20th July - "Ordered from W.H. Craven at 7/- per thousand 14,500 Carbenet and 13,000 Malbec cuttings. J.G. Kelly called, agreed to take 3,000 Riesling cuttings." Monday 25th July - "Planted 457 White Hermitage on hilltop". Thursday 28th July - "T. Hardy sent up 90 White Hermitage vines (2 years old)." The first grape crush came in 1895. Today, the Heritage Listed Kay Brorthers Amery is the oldest McLaren Vale winery still in founding family hands.

The Rieslings were the first true varietal wines grown to the area and some of the older traditional winemakers in the district were prophetic of failure. Time has happily proved to the contrary and today outstanding Riesling wines are still being made in McLaren Vale. The Riesling recorded in the 1891 diary were in fact, mainly the variety we now know as Chenin Blanc.

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The warm temperate climes, cool moist winters, warm dry summers and proximity to the sea ensures that frost, which is a debilitating agent in many viticultural areas, is virtually unknown. The vineyard receives a rainfall of approximately 550mm year and excellent vines are grown on a wide range of soils, the predominant being ironstone gravel. The estate Cellar Door, which is part of the original Winery complex, boasts some stunning panoramic views of the surrounding picturesque valleys and hillsides.

The Kay Brothers were partners in business for fifty-seven years, which is a remarkable achievement in the Australian winemaking scene. Herbert Kay was made Chairman of the Australian Wine Board in 1933 where he sat for twelve years. Herbert's son Cuthbert (Cud) Kay took over the management and winemaking at Amery. He increased the vineyards, concentrating on more Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Riesling with some smaller areas of Sauvignon Blanc and White Frontignac. In the 1960s changes in the estate's primary UK market and uneconomic prices led to the development of Australian markets. Initially this was in bulk to other winemakers but progressively more and more wine was packaged until eventually all of the output became branded under the Kays Amery Vineyards label.

The Kay Brothers Winery today are specialist traditional red wine makers utilising grapes from their own 22-hectare Amery Vineyard and from the neighbouring Oliver's Taranga. The relatively small, strictly regional estate can boast an enviable record in wine shows around Australia and Internationally. The welcome at Cellar Door is as friendly as the view is seductive, so allow plenty of time during your visit to taste the renowned selection of wines and explore the Kay Family diaries dating from 1891.

As Ernest Whitington wrote in 1903 "If any people engaged in the industry deserve success they are the Kay Brothers, who have been at Amery for twelve years. The property is situated on the Vale side of Tintara, and the view from the house is one of the finest in South Australia. Looking towards Tintara the valley and hillsides are literally covered in vines, and at the time of my visit the autumnal tints of the leaves enhanced the beauty of the scene. Encircling behind are wooded hills, and then away in the dreamy distance is a blue haze covered range. Turn around and you are gazing over vines and ploughed land away to the sea. You see Aldinga Bay quite plainly. When I go to Amery and the exquisite landscape, the labour which seems to be one of love, and the contentment that prevails ever recalls one verse from Gray's Elegy!"

Kay Brothers