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Coonawarra graziers have access to the finest soils for viticulture. Doug Balnaves was born in the very heart of Coonawarra, quite near the sacred cricket pitch at Penola. An accomplished herdsman and shearer, Balnaves took up the challenge of planting vineyards in 1971. Working under the tutelage of legendary Coonawarra winemaker Bill Redman, Balnaves immersed himself in the culture of the vine, ultimately establishing a grande marque of Coonawarra and securing the inaugural presidency of the Coonawarra Vignerons Association. He remains a lifelong member of the Penola Pipe Band. For those who like their wines structured yet satin, powerful yet prettily perfumed, in the mouthfillingly muscular.. The old sheep shearer's shanty»
Planted to a rocky hillock just east of township Clare, Mocandunda is a collaboration of three well seasoned vignerons, the Messrs Heinrich, Ackland and Faulkner. Heinrich grows fruit for a number of the nation's leading labels, Faulkner is one of Clare Valley's most accomplished agronomists, Ackland established the illustrious Mount Horrock Wines. Mocandunda was years in the making, one of the highest altitude terroirs in all Clare Valley, the extended autumns and dry grown vines, encourage a exceptional ripening of grapes, intense with varietal characters, magnificently balanced between natural fruit sugars, acidity and tannin. Mocandunda sell the lion's share of their crop to eminent brands, their.. The craggy copse on valley clare»
The Heathcote Wineworks were one of the first commercial wineries in central Victoria. Prominently placed along Heathcote's main boulevard, established by Thomas Craven in 1854 to cater for the huge influx of gold miners seeking their fortune. Thomas Craven was a purveyor of spirits and wine, he traded in gold, providing a lifeline to local prospectors. An entrepreneurial type, he also operated a coach service from stables behind the cellar door, despatching supplies and delivering mail around the central Victorian goldfields. The legacy endures within a measured range of small batch Shiraz, crafted to traditional techniques and fashioned for timeless excellence. Enthusiasts of grand old brands with a.. The alluring case for craven's place»
Giant Steps
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Giant Steps
The Giant Steps winemakers are directing their winemaking towards single vineyards in locations that can support varietals of distinction

Great wine is made in the vineyard. At its best it is like a fingerprint, inextricably linking the personality and mood of the land from which it has sprung.

Giant Steps

The Giant Steps vineyard is on 115 acres of rocky gravel over clay, 50 km east of Melbourne, on the north facing slopes of the Warramate ranges overlooking the Yarra Valley. The vineyard covers two ridges that rise from 400 to 1100 feet above the valley floor.

Giant Steps seek to grow fruit and ultimately make wine that is less overt and obvious than is encouraged in Australia. The winemakers look for structure and length rather than breadth; finesse rather than largesse and above all, fruit rather than artefact.

Giant Steps is owned and operated by a small team - Phil, Allison and Harry Sexton.

The story starts 2600 km and 23 years ago when Phil established the Devils Lair vineyard in Margaret River. He was joined there in 1990 by Allison, an American biochemist. 1995 proved an excellent year; son Harry was born.

Giant Steps

In life, not many people get the chance to do something again; differently, with the benefit of hindsight. While they loved the wines they were producing, they dreamed of creating a small, specialised cool climate vineyard together, as a family. From scratch.

And, in 1997 they took the giant step; sold Devils Lair and crossed Australia to a dream site on the slopes of Victoria's Yarra Valley, alongside several benchmark cool climate vineyards that they had long admired.

After an immense amount of work and many years they have turned a horse stud into a vineyard. The winemakers wanted hands on and they got it.

The Sexton family winemakers are quietly confident that the Yarra Valley can produce Bordeaux varietals with savoury structure, finesse, clarity and textbook fruit purity; without the cedary, geranium/capsicum characters we so often see in this country out of cooler or fast ripening regions.

Giant Steps