Australian Wines Connoisseur’s Choice

Mollydooker Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon

Mollydooker Gigglepot Cabernet Sauvignon is a vibrant & elegant wine, full of personality. Forthright flavours of raspberry, briar and dried herbs develop into soft layers of mocha and mint on the palate. The nose has cherry & rhubarb notes with a hint of vanilla, complimented by delicate oak elements of toasted coconut and spice. The balance and intensity of the 2016 Gigglepot allows the true personality of McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon to shine.

The Gigglepot is Sarah and Sparky’s daughter, Holly, who couldn’t stop giggling with these crazy black glasses on.

The grapes were grown on the Rivers Lane in McLaren Vale. Barrel fermented and matured in 84% American and 16% French oak using 50% new and 50% one year old barrels.

Alc: 15.5% Residual sugar: 2.2g/L pH: 3.70

See our full range of Mollydooker wines at https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/mollydooker/

For more information on this winery go to https://www.mollydookerwines.com/MollydookerStory/AboutMollydooker/tabid/99/Default.aspx

The winery is in beautiful scenic McLaren Vale, 30 minutes easy drive from Adelaide. Bordered by the Adelaide Hills and five minutes away from glorious beaches, McLaren Vale is a great place to come visit. It is like a big village, we all know one another, and we all love having visitors. The food here is fabulous, fresh and local, and we have a thriving artistic community.

The vineyards are situated on the magical Seaview Ridge, which with its ancient soils and Mediterranean climate, is home to some of the most iconic Australian wines. We have three separate vineyards – Long Gully Road, Coppermine Road and the Home Blocks, giving us a total of 114 acres of Shiraz, Cabernet and Merlot. All of our grapes are grown sustainably.

The winemaker recommends that everybody should do the Mollydooker shake. You can watch this on YouTube. According to the winemaker  “Pre-shaken the wines are intense, concentrated and still magnificent. However, after the shake the wine becomes more approachable, the aromatics are lifted and the fruit is smoother on the palate. An overall more enjoyable and total Mollydooker experience!” https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QCGFz3nnakE

The Ironstone Pressing GSM by d’Arenberg- Grenache, Shiraz , Mourvedre blend.

Most of McLaren Vale’s acclaimed and historic vineyards are impregnated with ancient, decomposed laterite granite known as ironstone. Its extraordinary rusty redbrown colour is derived from the iron oxides present in the stone. The larger pieces were cleared from the vineyards in the late 1880’s and utilised in many of the buildings at d’Arenberg, most notably the old stables. Hence the wine’s name.

The Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre components of Ironstone Pressing come from the best parcels from selected vineyards, and remain separate until final blending.These low yielding, old vines are picked in small parcels and remain separate until final blending. Small batches of grapes are gently crushed and then transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters. Foot treading is undertaken two thirds of the way through fermentation. The wine is then basket pressed and then transferred to a mixture of new and used oak barriques to complete fermentation. The barrel ferments are aged on lees, there is no racking until final blending and no finning or filtration.

Unctuous blackberry and plum notes lay at  the heart of this classic d’Arenberg example of a GSM. A spattering of exotic spices the likes of star anise, cardamom and nutmeg cling to the sweet, dark fruits and of course, it wouldn’t be a d’Arenberg wine without a rousing dose of earthy, gamey character. The palate is fleshy and juicy with an almost velvet like texture. Abundantly warm and generous but sufficiently structured to suggest this wine can go the long haul.

d’Arenberg Ironstone Pressing GSM – A great GSM blend from a classic family winery. One of the many brilliant d’Arenberg wines

To see our full range of d’Arenberg product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/darenberg/

For more information on the winery go to https://www.darenberg.com.au/

d’Arenberg Ironstone Pressing GSM

Stargazer Tasmania Chardonnay.

Single vineyard, wild ferment.

Samantha Connew’s excellent Chardonnay is from a single vineyard in the Coal Valley. The oak is superb, the fruit pristine but with body and intensity. Wild ferment. Keep for up to a decade and you will be rewarded. Sam Connew is ex Wirra Wirra and Tower Estate winemaker. Stargazer is her Tasmanian venture; the wines are made from carefully selected parcels of grower fruit.

Crafted from premium Coal Valley fruit, it’s all white peach, nougat and a little heady gardenia. Brilliant use of first-class oak enhances the intense and pristine fruit. Great mouthfeel and finish. Lingering.

To find out more about the producer go to http://stargazerwine.com.au/#news

Stargazer pays tribute to Abel Tasman, who as an explorer and navigator, must have spent a fair amount of time gazing towards the heavens. Tasman, a Dutchman under the employ of the United East India Company was the first European to sight Tasmania (on 24 November 1642) and then the South Island of New Zealand, nineteen days later on 13 December

To see our range of Stargazer product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/stargazer/

Located in the Tea Tree subregion at the northern end of the Coal River Valley, the original vineyard on Back Tea Tree Road was planted by Norm and Jan Gangell in 2004. Pretty much half and half riesling and pinot noir, the eleven hectare property is also home to an olive grove. Samantha Connew took over the property in 2016 and in late 2017 expanded the vineyard to include an additional two hectares of vines: more pinot noir (four clones), some chardonnay (anther four clones) and more riesling. Stage two of the expansion is planned for 2020 and will take me up to five hectares in total, and then the wine will be totally estate grown.
Palisander Vineyard (as she has named it) is located on brown dermosol soil over jurassic dolerite, the igneous rock which gives over half of Tasmania its distinctive geological formations (think the rocky outcrops on the Tasman Peninsula). The soil is particularly high in calcium which is a positive indicator for quality grapes, being associated with thicker skins and slower ripening. Whilst she is still very new to this whole grape grower caper, she believes in sustainable farming and am excited about leaving my bit of dirt better than I found it.

Stargazer Tasmania Chardonnay – great Tassie wine

Lethbridge Indira Shiraz

From the home block at Lethbridge, cropped at 1.5 tonnes/acre, 80% whole bunch, 100% delicious

Lethbridge Wines is a boutique wine producer specialising in highly terroir-driven wines from some of the best vineyards in Victoria’s Geelong region, chosen after an exhaustive search in the mid 1990’s. Owner-winemakers Ray Nadeson and Maree Collis are not your average winemakers of a boutique winery. Both were initially trained as research scientists and hold PhD degrees in chemistry and medicine, respectively. While combining their scientific careers with winemaking, Maree and Ray completed the winemaking degree at Charles Sturt University. Ray states, “winemaking is not really that different to science, both are creative and both involve 99% perspiration, 1% inspiration”.

With total wine production capacity capped at 3,000 cases, the focus is on quality and individuality, with a strong emphasis on capturing the local terroirs. As well as understanding the importance of terroir, the partners have built a unique straw- bale winery, designed to recreate the controlled environment of cellars and caves in Europe. Winemaking is no less ecological: hand-picking, indigenous yeast fermentation, small open fermenters, pigeage (foot-stomping) and minimal handling of the wines throughout the maturation process are all part and parcel of the highly successful Lethbridge approach.

Lethbridge is a 5 Red Star Winery that has built up a cult following in Australia and their wines are rarely seen outside of Melbourne; this is a great opportunity to sample these award winning wines from one of the few overseas allocations.

To see our full range of lethbridge wines go to http://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/lethbridge/

For more information on gthe winery go to http://www.lethbridgewines.com

Lethbridge Indira Shiraz

Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier

The Virgilius is Yalumba’s most distinguished Viognier – a wine that shows power with restraint. As Yalumba’s most premium
and enchanting white wine, it is loved by wine lovers looking for something beyond the more conventional offering.

Terroir & Site
After 35 years we believe that the Eden Valley has proved its place as one of the great homes of Viognier. The ‘new’ clones, imported
by the Yalumba nursery, are starting to mature and bear fruit that we can compare to each other and our established vineyards. While
not enough volume or vine age for The Virgilius yet, the diversity of this material will help us to look at further planting material.
Winemaking & Viticulture
Handpicked grapes were whole-bunch pressed directly to mature French oak barriques, where they were fermented by ‘wild’ or
indigenous yeasts occurring naturally in the vineyard. These wild yeasts play a small and subtly different part in the development of
the wine, creating layers of richness, complexity, fine textures and flavours. After fermentation the wine was aged on lees with regular
batonnage for ten months to further heighten the palate weight and increase the complexity and flavour generosity.
TastingComments

The nose has intense aromas of early season just picked apricots, cardamom, white pepper and fresh ginger. Lifted ginger spice
is layered on the palate with mineral sourdough like texture and complex apricots and almond savouriness. The trademark
Viognier lusciousness of the palate is clearly evident in this wine. It is complex while at the same time showing purity and restraint
that will unwind slowly in the glass and take the imbiber on a sensory journey. At its best with food, The Virgilius complements a wide range of flavours, particularly dishes with spice and rich flavours. Try with poached pike perch; grilled sirloin and chips; beef rendang; pan fried herb stuffed mushrooms; or fresh gnocchi with olive oil and shaved truffles.

To find out more about the winery go to https://www.yalumba.com/about-us

To see our full range of Yalumba product go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/yalumba/

Yalumba The Virgilius Viognier

Grosset Alea Riesling

After fourteen vintages, the ‘European’ approach adopted for this individual-site wine is more subtle. Mild seasonal conditions have resulted in a bright and expressive Alea – the aromatics are pronounced with suggestions of preserved lemon and while almost bone-dry, is complex and perfectly balanced. It has freshness, mid-palate intensity, purity and finesse, finishing at full throttle with lime juice at its core.

Ageing Potential: Drink now – 20 years

Produced from riesling grown at the Grosset Rockwood Vineyard, an A-Grade Certified Organic and Biodynamic (ACO) vineyard.

Unfined- vegan and vegetarian friendly

For more information on the winery go to https://www.grosset.com.au/

Grosset Wines is a small family-run operation entering its fifth decade. The unwavering vision is to create pure expressions of variety and place.  Our four estate-owned vineyards, A-Grade Certified Organic and Biodynamic (ACO), are located in high altitude country of the Clare Valley, each site selected for its potential to produce great wine and planted by Grosset. Each is handpicked and hand pruned; each bunch of grapes harvested at optimum ripeness.

Production is tiny. Single vineyard wines are the focus. The winemaking process is gentle and uncomplicated. Custodianship remains with Grosset Wines from grape growing to in-house bottling; authenticity is assured.

To see our great range of Grosset wines go to the website by clicking here

Grosset Alea Riesling – A great Aussie Riesling