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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»
Three British Army officers, in their capacity as agents of the East India Company, established one of Western Australia's first agricultural enterprises in 1836. Named after Captain Richmond Houghton, it was not until Thomas Yule's stewardship that vines were planted and the first vintage of Houghton wine flowed in 1859. Thomas Yule now sources fruit from the eminent Justin Vineyard in Frankland River, a dark ruby Shiraz of lifted liquorice and intense brambleberry, seasoned by piquant pepper notes and supported by showroom tannins. The very elite of Frankland River Shiraz... Artisanal wines of distinguished sites»
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.. The kindly cabernet of clairault»
Returned servicemen from the Great War could look forward to government grants of pastoral freehold. West Australia's Willyabrup Valley was such a place, just a short walk from the balmy beaches of Indian Ocean, it offered the veterans excellent potential for agriculture. The fertile lands of Sussex Vale were originally established to animal husbandry by the discharged troopers, generations of livestock enriched the soils and it was astutely sown to vines in 1973. Fortuitously placed at the very heart of the Australian west's most illustrious estates, it continued to occupy the thoughts of neighbouring Howard Park's chief winemaker, until he acquired the.. A better block on hay shed hill»

Maxwell Little Demon Shiraz Grenache Mourverdre CONFIRM VINTAGE

Shiraz Grenache Mourverdre McLaren Vale South Australia
In 1871 Scottish scientist James Clerk Maxwell proposed a thought experiment which involved a hypothetical creature known to physicists as Maxwell's little demon, it has stirred debate in the science community ever since. Maxwell of Mclaren Vale have built a solid reputation for hand made, rich and robust red wines that combine exquisite fruit with solid structure and finesse. Little Demon is a triple entente of Shiraz Grenache and Mourverdre, rich, round and effusive, absolutely exquisite, even in its youth.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$263.00
Maxwell is an estate with a history and a global reach which belies it's modest size. One notable block of vine originates from stock imported to South Australia by John Reynell over 150 years ago. Maxwell's cuttings were taken directly from the original Reynella vineyard, planted over three decades ago into the shallow topsoil over solid limestone soils on the crest of the estate. The property makes the most of an early ripening, even in extreme weather conditions, grapes are harvested with generous flavours, fine tannins and deep colours. Little Demon is a mostly Shiraz wine, seamless with Grenache and Mourverdre, matured eighteen months in a selection of seasoned French oak hogsheads.
Dark red purple hue. Floral bouquet abundant with black cherry and plum fruits over hints of aniseed, black olive and tar. Dark berry fruits and cherry persist on the palate with hints of black pepper and long savoury tannins. The Little Demon exhibits great weight of fruit, superb length and remarkable balance. Made to enjoy upon release, a good match with risottos, carpetbag and farced vegetables.
Maxwell
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Maxwell
Since 1979, family owned Maxwell Wines, with its forty acre estate vineyard, has built a reputation for handcrafting superior and world class wines that combine exquisite fruit quality with structure and finesse

The Maxwell family is also famous for its range of Maxwell Meads, being the most significant producer in the southern hemisphere of this time-honoured, delicious and golden fermented honey. As mead is one of the oldest fermented drinks known to mankind, the late Ken Maxwell was inspired to research and produce what are now highly acclaimed as the benchmark of meads in the world. The Maxwell Meads’ purity of flavour is testament to 50 years of family research and development.

Maxwell

There has always been a love of wine and the vine in the Maxwell lineage. William James Maxwell a noted Scottish sculptor, came to Australia in 1875 to do some artistic work on a building in Melbourne. However, the cold damp climate of this city played on his health, so he moved three years later to the much more temperate climate of Adelaide, South Australia.

A few miles south of the city at Edwardstown, he built a mock castle called Woodlands Park, and with the vines on the property made some very acceptable reds that he accumulated in the cellars of his unique home. His son John, with the thought of farming in his mind, acquired a property in the rich valley of McLaren Vale, 40 kilometres south of Adelaide. Here he and his sons ran a mixed farm of fruit, dairy, and of course vines.

His interest in winemaking also led to a period of employment with Hardys at the historic Tintara Winery in the heart of McLaren Vale. In 1970, Ken Maxwell started a small self-contained winery on the eastern edge of his property and named it Daringa Cellars. Here he and wife Margaret made and sold very high quality red and white wine. In addition, they began to sell an ancient drink Mead made from fermented honey. In 1979, Ken sold Daringa to the Dennis family and with Margaret and son Mark started a new venture, an 80 tonne winery called appropriately, Maxwell Wines.

Maxwell

As the popularity of Maxwell Wines and Meads grew through the 1990s, Mark Maxwell realised that more space was needed. He then undertook the mammoth task of relocating the family winery to a site amongst vineyards he had owned since the early 1980s. Situated in the original heart of McLaren Vale just north of the main street on gently rolling hills, this was the perfect place for a new winery to be built into the south-facing limestone hill overlooking the township. Spanning three main levels, the winery was designed to take advantage of gravity flow throughout the winemaking process, contributing to the outstanding quality of the wines. Constructed from limestone and old solid timber, the design also allows visitors the opportunity to view a working winery while sampling the wines and taking in the magnificent views from the cellar door.

Importantly, a special barrel cellar was also designed into the new winery. Hidden away at one end of the winery, the cellar was cut into solid limestone. With a natural earthen floor and impressive limestone walls, the cellar creates an ideal environment of constant temperature and humidity providing a perfect place to mature some of Maxwell’s best wines in barrel.

Mark also expanded the range of wines to include a Verdelho and, as it came into bearing, some Viognier. Outside of the busy vintage time, the Maxwell Mead continued to be made, with the family now recognised as the most significant (and largest) producer of this rare beverage in the southern hemisphere. Hence the winery actually has the dual function of being a meadery as well!

The Maxwell Estate vineyards are some of the most favourably positioned in the McLaren Vale district. They are positioned on the southern slope and crest of Lumb’s Hill, amongst gently rolling hills just one mile north of the McLaren Vale township’s Main Street. Situated on solid limestone and in such proximity to the moderating effects of the Gulf of St Vincent, the conditions in the vineyards are ideal and somewhat blessed for producing small quantities of intensely flavoured grapes.

Maxwell