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Samuel Smith migrated from Dorset England to Angaston in the colony of South Australia circa 1847, he took up work as a gardener with George Fife Angas, the virtual founder of the colony. In 1849, Smith bought thirty acres and planted vines by moonlight, the first ever vintages of Yalumba. One of his most enduring legacies were some unique clones of Shiraz, which were ultimately sown to the illustrious Mount Edelstone vineyard in 1912. Angas's great grandchild Ron Angas acquired cuttings from the Edelstone site and migrated the precious plantings to his pastures at Hutton Vale. The land remains in family hands, a graze for flocks of some highly fortunate lamb. In between the paddocks, blocks of Sam Smith's experimental vines yield a harvest of the most spectacular Shiraz to be found in all Eden Valley... The return of rootstock to garden of eden»

Scarpantoni School Block CONFIRM VINTAGE

Cabernet Sauvignon Shiraz Merlot McLaren Vale South Australia
From the home of the 2007 Jimmy Watson, prior vintages of School Block have claimed gold medals at the London International and UK Sunday Times. A deluxe assembly of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot from three Scarpantoni vineyards, each with a unique terroir and mesoclime. One of McLaren Vale's more artisanal blended reds, a wine of ripe currant and plum flavours, interwoven with attractive cedary oak. School Block has earned a stellar reputation with McLaren Vale enthusiasts, it's seamless integration has made the wine a modern classic.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$287.00
Mostly Shiraz, a third of Cabernet, the balance in Merlot. Grapes are picked purely on the basis of flavour profile and fermented in six to eight tonne batches. Each block of fruit is pressed and kept separate for maturation, every parcel of wine is tested to determine barrel type ranging from new, to five year old French and American oak hogsheads. Components are individually processed and aged in barrel for twelve months, achieving a soft and supple style that oozes with rich fruit and hints of toasty oak. After a year in barrel, the rigorous task of assemblage is undertaken over the course of several weeks, more than twenty different parcels are assessed to determine the final School Block.
Dark in colour. An intense bouquet of blackcurrant and spice with enticing hints of cherries and violet. Rich black fruits on the nose and palate, plenty of plums, licks of chocolate, pepper and dried aromatic spice. The palate is soft and supple with rich berry fruit flavours seamlessly supported by fine tannins leading to a lingering finish.
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Scarpantoni
Domenico Scarpantoni immigrated to Australia in 1952, travelling and working around the country before settling in with Thomas Hardy and Sons at Tintara in the McLaren Vale

McLaren Vale is a picturesque country town approximately 45 km south of Adelaide, South Australia. With its vineyards sprawling over hundreds of undulating kilometres, it is the toast of South Australia's world-renowned Fleurieu Peninsular.

Scarpantoni

The town is bordered to the North, South and East by the ancient rolling Willunga Hills, while to the West lies the sparkling waters of the Gulf of St. Vincent.

With the sea being so close, less than 10km from the centre of town, the climate is quite moderate, almost Mediterranean.

Domenico soon discovered the region was ideal for viticulture and it was there in 1958 that he bought his first property of just 5.6 hectares.

Scarpantoni

Later he was to become vineyard manager for Seaview Wines of McLaren Vale and was responsible for the contoured vineyards that Seaview were renowned for in the 1960s. In 1968, the original school property of 20 hectares was purchased in the adjacent town of McLaren Flat.

In the years following, a further 12 hectares of adjoining land was purchased, making him one of the largest growers in the region at that time. In 1979, the winery was built with the aid of his wife Paula and two sons, Michael and Filippo, on the McLaren Flat property, with only a percentage of the tonnage harvest released onto the market under the Scarpantoni label.

The last two decades has seen major expansions to the Estate including the purchase of a property in the heart of McLaren Vale. This includes plantings of premium Shiraz, a wetlands development, a fully renovated winery and cellar door, and the future restoration of a historical homestead.

To this day, the winery is very much a family business with every step of production, from viticulture to the packaged product done entirely on the premises. This gives total control over every stage of the winemaking process and ensures that the highest standards are maintained.

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