• Delivery
Wine clubWine clubWine clubWine club
  • Gift registry
  • Wishlist
  • FAQs
Right across the road from Jasper Hill's Emily Paddock,a precious parcel of ancient terra rosa soil was acquired and planted to vine by a baronial Mornington estate, highly accomplished growers with a consuming aspiration to grow the finest Shirazin all Heathcote. They settled on a coveted site along Drummond's Lane, strewn with unique green Cambrian shards, a sacred place to yield the top growth amongst single vineyardHeathcote Shiraz. Decades later, the vintages remain excruciatingly measured in availability. Painstakingly hand made, arcanely labelled behind the monikers, Pressings, Block F and Block C, the cherished editions of Heathcote Estate represent the Grand Cru of identifiably terroir.. The likely lads of drummond's lane»
Born and bred, 6th generation winemaker Damien Tscharke grew up amongst the vines at Seppeltsfield, while attending Marananga Primary and Nuriootpa High. Gnadenfrei is the oldest vineyard within the Tscharke family estate portfolio, established over seventy years ago by Damien Tscharke's grandfather, the terroir and clime yield an exceptional quality of Shiraz. A seamlessly structured style, driven by fruit and kept vital by rich, cherry filled acidity. Show stopper this week... Superior value in old village barossa shiraz»
Clonakilla are one of our nation's most eminent vineyard wineries, a tiny production operation, established by a CSIRO scientist at Murrumbateman, very near Canberra. It turned out to be a fortuitous planting, with a climate not dissimilar to Bordeaux and northern Rhone, the Clonakilla property now occupies a rank next to the mighty Grange on the prestigious Exceptional Langtons Classification, it yields vintages of Australia's most invaluable Shiraz. At $26.99, the estate's entry level belies its stature and excellence within the pantheon of great Australian wine, an essential experience this week for all enthusiasts, a canny choice for shrewd and judicious aspirants of elite new world Shiraz... Here's what our most picky pundits prefer»
Rolf Binder is one of the Barossa's quiet achieving superstars, recipient of the most conspicuous national accolades, Barossa Winemaker of Year and Best Small Producer, Best Barossa Shiraz Trophy and coveted listing in the illustrious Langtons Classification of Australian Wine. Binder's focus has always been on old vines fruit, in particular, the abstruse canon of early settler varietals which populated Barossa Valley during the 1840s. Wild bush vines Mataro, picked off patches at Tanunda along Langmeil Road, ancient growths of Grenache from Gomersal and Light Pass. Rolf's tour de force are eight superlative rows of Shiraz, established 1972 by the Binders junior and senior, which yield a mere 250.. Seven decades of tillage at tanunda»

Majella Sparkling Shiraz CONFIRM VINTAGE

Shiraz Coonawarra South Australia
The pick of Coonawarra Shiraz, treated to an extravagantly extended fermentation, for maximal uptake of dense, chocolatey purple fruit flavours, rakish colour and wickedly decadent chewy licorice textures, two years and more on gross sedimentery lees to infuse the wine with wanton richness, while taming and integrating the prodigal tannins. Eventually disgorged to true Methode traditionnelle, Majella is served with the ultimate indulgence, an inclusion of Reserve Vintage Coonawarra Port and dosage liqueur, crowned and resealed.
Available in cartons of six
Case of 6
$233.50
Majella originally established their Shiraz vineyards in the late 1960s after an understanding that the Hardy's Wine Company would source their production. By the 1980s, Majella were looking for other clients and their fruit wound up in some of the most memorable vintages of Wynns Coonawarra. The quality of Majella's harvest was always paramount but it was not until the 1990s that the pick of the Shiraz crop was set aside for a superior small batch sparkling. Bottle fermented for two or more years on sedimentery lees, followed by the traditional disgorgement, liqueur d’expédition and dosage of rare vintage Port.
Midnight purple hues, effervescence and persitence of elegant bead. Spiced liquorice nose, brambles and bright currants, suet and caraway, carob and cherry ripe. A powerful palate of intensely mouthfilling flavours, layers of fruit are supported by its luxurious creamyness, the savouryness of leather, smokey bacon, olive and espresso. Majella brings out the best in all good food, savoury or sweet, it drinks blissfully just on its own.
Sparkling Reds
25 - 36 of 43
«back 1 2 3 4 next»
25 - 36 of 43
«back 1 2 3 4 next»
Majella
The Lynn family have been residents of the Penola - Coonawarra district for over four generations, starting out as Store-Keepers and then graduating into grazing

The property on which Majella now stands was originally owned by Frank Lynn, and bought by his nephew, George, in 1960. George and Pat Lynn kept Merinos for wool production on their farm about ten miles away, and had always wanted some good Coonawarra country for their up-and-coming prime lamb enterprise. Viticulture, however, was not on their agenda until 1968.

Majella

George had always been great friends with Eric Brand. Eric had just started producing his wines under the Laira label and was selling some wine to the Hardy wine company. Brian was interested in planting a vineyard on the Majella property and in 1968 went ahead and planted 6 acres of Shiraz. Eric offered to buy the grapes to produce wine for Hardy's and the future looked rosy. There wasn't a lot of money in it, but it complemented the sheep enterprise, so eventually some 70 acres were planted - about 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon.

However, all good things come to an end, and the Hardy deal fell through just as the vines were maturing. Things were tight in the 70's. Demand for grapes, particularly Shiraz was very low, and there were a couple of years when 30 or more tonnes of premium Shiraz grapes were left to rot.

This was the start of a long relationship between Wynn's and Majella, a relationship that continued for over 20 years. Since 1989 Majella have continued planting new vineyards and at present have about 150 acres under vine. Most of the new plantings have been Cabernet Sauvignon, but there are some small areas of Merlot and Riesling planted as well.

Majella

The Majella winegrowers had always made a bit of wine up from their own select grapes, and knew that the quality was very good. After prompting from many of their peers, in 1991 they made up 600 cases or so of Shiraz.

The wine was vintaged at Brand's "Laira" winery (the link with Brand's won't go away) under the ever watchful eye of their winemaker, Bruce Gregory. This hit the market in 1993 and was received exceptionally well. The wine was good, the packaging looked good and the release sold out in no time.

Majella's production level soon reached the stage where new winemaking facilities were warranted, and high tech winemaking equipment was installed. Bruce Gregory joined as winemaker in January 1999 and produced a crackerjack vintage first up.

What happened to the sheep? They're still there although there's not much money in wool these days. The Majella winemakers still run about 3,500 Merino wethers on their remote farm south-west of Penola and raise about 400 prime lambs at Coonawarra.

Majella