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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»
There were two scrub covered parcels of land, just outside Pokolbin village along McDonalds Road, that local council had long set aside for use as cricket ground and cemetery. Both were ultimately auctioned off to the highest bidders and sown to vine. A third undeveloped site became the subject of a long running feud among the new and old neighbours. Dodgy invoices between the rivals were exchanged and the division of firewood became a further cause of contention. A truce was eventually called by the two protagonists, Brokenwood and Hungerford Hill, for the sake of healthy viticulture. The nascent blocks achieved international renown as the eminent Cricket Pitch and the Langtons Listed Graveyard Vineyard, establishing Brokenwood as one of the most cherished marques in Hunter Valley wine... Sociable soils make for healthy vine»

Wilson Vineyard Wilson DJW Riesling CONFIRM VINTAGE

Riesling Clare South Australia
Daniel James Wilson would write DJW rules on school book covers, desks, garden edgings and wet concrete whenever the opportunity arose. In 1997 DJW established a small 5½ acre plot of Riesling in the highest and most fertile corner of the family property. From inaugural vintage it became apparent that the fruit from DJW block was quite different. The hand picked harvest from this supreme site was kept separate and DJW Riesling went on to claim a string of prestigious trophies.
Available by the dozen
Case of 12
$311.00
The larger vines of DJW block yield bigger bunches and berries than its siblings at Polish Hill River, distinctive grapes with a vibrant juicy fruit chewing gum character and bright citrus flavours. The grapes from DJW Vineyard are predominately hand picked and chilled, passed as whole bunches through the 30 year old Diemme press press and treated to a long cool fermentation. A synthetic fining agent known as Polyclar and course of filtration are employed to finish the wine crystal clear. Residual sugar levels are carefully controlled favouring a slightly higher level in the DJW Riesling to complement the bigger fruit typically found in DJW wine.
Pale gold colour. Aromas of citrus lemon tart and grapefruit with garden herbs. Lively upfront lemon zest with a slatey minerality not normally seen from this vineyard. Unmistakable Polish Hill River power on the palate, this vintage will be one for the long haul. There's enough mouthfeel to balance the sharpness of the acidity, great balance and structure, a slight weightyness, the dry finish hangs and hangs.
Wilson Vineyard
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Wilson Vineyard
The Wilson Vineyard is a small family winery in the Polish Hill River sub-region of South Australia's Clare Valley

In 1973, John Wilson set out with soil map and sampling auger in search for the plot for his vines. The chosen land was some of the grazing slopes east of Sevenhill. The locals were bemused by this venture and were firm but kind with their advice about the unsuitability of the area for grapes. To that same handful of locals the little valley was known as Polish Hill River, a quaint tribute to its early pioneers. In 1980 the vineyard produced its first commercial wine and with that Shiraz-Cabernet, wine consumers were introduced to this hitherto unknown corner of Clare. By then no-one had any doubts about the ability of Polish Hill River to produce fine wine. The Wilson family has been content to expand its operation slowly and steadily and is unfussed that most who followed them now cultivate larger tracts.

Wilson Vineyard

The winery only processes estate-grown fruit. More than half of the production is Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon, both of which are produced under the Gallery Series label, which features a different artist each year. Other wines include a Zinfandel, a fortified Traminer, Chardonnay, and Shiraz. Hippocrene is a distinctive sparkling red wine produced since 1990.

The Clare Valley whilst being a catchy marketing term, is in fact incorrect. There is no single valley, while there is a plateau corrugated by ridges that generally run in a north-south direction. The central feature of this plateau is Mount Horrocks (600 m). South of Mount Horrocks there are three valleys: the Wakefield River, Eyre Creek, and the Skillogalee Creek, that join and flow west to Port Wakefield.

Flowing north are the valleys of the Hill River and the Hutt River, that ultimately flow into the Broughton and meet the sea at Port Davis (between Port Broughton and Port Pirie). Polish Hill River is located on the upper reaches of the Hill River. The soil at Polish Hill River is an acidic red-brown clayey-loam. In contrast to the Watervale sub-region to the south of Mount Horrocks, there is no limestone at Polish Hill River. Geologically the region is of ancient shale and an extension of the famous Mintaro slate. (The slate quarry at nearby Mintaro remains the only site in Australia where it is possible to obtain a sheet of slate large enough for a full-size billiard table)

Wilson Vineyard

In the extreme north-west corner of the vineyard, and on the highest part of the property is a small 2 hectare planting of young riesling vines, that is known as the DJW block, so called because Daniel James Wilson planted the patch. In 2001 it yielded its first economic crop, and it was Daniel's choice that the wine should be kept separate from the rest of the Riesling production and produced as an individual vineyard bottling.

Daniel James Wilson's faith was justified, when in June 2002 the 2001 DJW Riesling was awarded the trophy for the best boutique riesling in the Boutique Wine Awards. That 2001 DJW Riesling also won a gold medal in the 2002 Clare Valley Wine Show category for non-commercial riesling. The 2003 vintage has continued the winning streak, and in the 2003 Clare Valley Wine Show was awarded the Mick Knappstein Trophy for the best commercial riesling (current vintage), and the Jim Barry Perpetual Trophy for the best wine of the show. In August 2004 this wine was awarded the top honour for riesling in the Tri-Nation awards, held in Sydney. This award judges the best wines submitted from South Africa, New Zealand, and Australia. The Wilson Vineyard Rieslings are powerful wines that take more than five years in the bottle to show their best, and have consistently shown themselves to be amongst the nation's best.

The Wilson Vineyard doesn't claim to have the best scenic outlook of the Clare wineries, but puts its hand up for second place. Wine tasting and sales are conducted in a stone-faced underground cellar that was constructed in 1988. This, and other associated winery buildings have used stone sourced on the property. There have been extensive plantings of trees, both native and exotic types around the cellar. For a touch of eccentricity, the sales area is decorated with pieces of railway memorabilia.

Wilson Vineyard