Ultimate Red Mixed Case

Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon

THenschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon – This wine carries the name of Stephen’s father, Cyril Henschke (1924-1979), as a tribute to one of Australia’s outstanding winemaking pioneers, renowned for old-vine single-vineyard and quality varietal table wines. Cyril planted cabernet sauvignon at Henschke’s Eden Valley vineyard in the 1960s.

TASTING NOTES for HENSCHKE CYRIL CABERNET SAUVIGNON

Deep garnet with garnet hues. Lively and fragrant aromas of crushed flowering herbs, violets, briary blackberry, plum, black cherry and cassis, with subtle forest and cedar notes. A rich, supple and complex palate of dark forest berries, dark chocolate, cooking spices and liquorice, interlaced with fresh acidity and a long, savoury finish of fine-grained tannins.

VINIFICATION

Grapes were hand-harvested in the cool of the morning. This single vineyard was divided up into separate parcels with top, middle and bottom of the slope picked separately. Each parcel remained separate throughout the vinification process. Once in the winery, the grapes were destemmed and lightly crushed into traditional, concrete, open-top fermenters. A submerged cap was performed in order to manage a slow tannin extraction. The fermentations were controlled with pump-overs being performed twice daily. After 7-10 days and just prior to reaching dryness, the fermentations were gently pressed to barrel with the primary fermentation finishing in French oak (10% new and 90% seasoned) hogshead barrels. The wine matured for 18 months in oak before blending and bottling. The wine was aged in bottle for a further two years before its release.

VINEYARD

In 1966, Cyril Henschke purchased 32 hectares of land on Cranes Range Road, two kilometres west of Henschke Cellars at 500 metres above sea level. Here he planted the Henschke Eden Valley vineyard, predominantly with Riesling and Shiraz, on a north-facing slope made up of sandy loam soils over gravel and bedrock, with patches of clay. Other varieties, including Cabernet Sauvignon, were added over the years. Cyril bottled his first Cabernet Sauvignon from this vineyard in 1976. This cool, elegant wine was named after him as a tribute when he passed away in 1979.

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For more information on Henschke go to winery’s website by clicking here.

Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon

Shaw & Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz

Shaw & Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz – This Shiraz exhibits a complex nose laden with spice and red fruit which leads to a poised and balanced palate. Graphite, sage, kalamata olives, and plum flavours envelop the palate which is lively and medium bodied. Grippy tannins and bright acidity lead into the long finish.

Winemakers Notes

The grapes were hand picked, hand sorted, and fermented as whole berries and whole bunches in open fermenters, with gentle plunging and minimal working. The wine was aged in new (15%) and used 500-litre French oak puncheons for 14 months. Unfiltered and unfined before bottling, the wine then underwent another 14 months of bottle ageing.

Information on the Producer

Shaw + Smith own two vineyards in the Adelaide Hills, at Balhannah and Lenswood, totalling 55 hectares. The vineyards are planted to varieties that perform particularly well in the region, namely Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Shiraz. Site selection is particularly important in the Adelaide Hills, with its diversity of altitude, aspect, microclimate, and soil. We also use a number of different cultivars or ‘clones’ of each grape variety, which contribute different qualities to the final product.

The Lenswood Vineyard, about 10km north west of the winery, is planted mainly to Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, at 455 – 500m elevation. Undulating with east and west facing aspects, the soils are brown loams over clay with broken shale on the ridges. The vineyard was planted in 1999 and is 20 hectares in total.

M3 now comes from selected sites over the Adelaide Hills, not from the vineyard previously called M3. Pale strawgreen; it may be autosuggestion, but this has great freshness, vibrancy and finesse, the flavours pitched halfway between white peach/stone fruit on the one hand, grapefruit/citrus on the other. Obviously fermented in French oak, but is not obviously oaky. 97 points

You can see our range of Shaw + Smith product at our web page

For more information on the Shaw & Smith  winery go to their website

Shaw & Smith Balhannah Vineyard Shiraz – a great wine from a top class winery

Henschke Mount Eddlestone Shiraz – a truly great wine from the phenomenal Henschke winery.

TASTING NOTES

Mount Eddlestone Shiraz by Henschke – Medium garnet with crimson. Intense aromas of blackcurrant, blackberry, blueberry, with lifted notes of sage, bay leaf, black pepper, anise and hints of cedar. The palate is rich and complex with well-defined blackberry, mulberry, red plum and black currant fruit, layered with sage and black pepper, all carried by fine-grained, mature, velvety tannins for an almost endless finish.

This wine comes in a beautiful presentation case.

HISTORY OF MOUNT EDDLESTONE SHIRAZ

The ancient 500 million year old soils on this vineyard are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay resulting in low yields from the 100 year old vines. This has become known as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Decanting is recommended before serving.

The beautiful and historic name Mount Edelstone is a translation from the German Edelstein meaning ‘gemstone’, a reference to the small yellow opals once found in the area. The Mount Edelstone Vineyard was planted in 1912 by Ronald Angas, a descendant of George Fife Angas who founded The South Australian Company and played a significant role in the formation and establishment of South Australia. Unusual for its time, the vineyard was planted solely to shiraz. The ancient 500-million-year-old geology in the vineyard has given rise to soils that are deep red-brown clay-loam to clay, resulting in low yields from the dry-grown, ungrafted centenarian vines. The wine was first bottled as a single-vineyard shiraz in 1952 by fourth-generation Cyril Henschke. By the time Cyril purchased the vineyard from Colin Angas in 1974, Mount Edelstone was already well entrenched as one of Australia’s greatest shiraz wines. Crafted by the Henschke family for over 65 years now, Mount Edelstone is arguably the longest consecutively-produced, single-vineyard wine in Australia.

100% 102 year-old single-vineyard shiraz grapes grown organically and biodynamically in the Eden Valley wine region.

Henschke Mount Eddlestone Shiraz, a fantastic aussie wine, worth every word of praise written about it, from a classic Aussie family vineyard.

To find out more about the winery please click the link to go to the Henschke website

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Great wine from a truly great family vineyard

Henschke Mount Eddlestone Shiraz

Mollydooker Enchanted Path

Mollydooker Enchanted Path displays an inky deep colour with dense hues. The journey begins with fragrant bright red fruit on the nose, followed by deeper tones of blackberry and plum jam on the palate. Well guided by precise tannins, these flavours will fully entertain your senses, giving the wine phenomenal length. The captivating interplay between the Shiraz and Cabernet provides a sophisticated mix of plum and mocha, walking beside raspberry and clove. The 2017 Enchanted Path exercises both elegance and complexity with a well-balanced finish.

The grapes were grown on the Gateway and Rivers Lane vineyards in McLaren Vale. Barrel fermented and matured in 95% American and 5% French oak using 85% new and 15% one year old barrels.

Mollydooker is a Member of Sustainable Winegrowing Australia, and as such ensures that all wines are produced on a sustainable basis.

You can see and purchase our full range of Mollydooker wines by going to our Mollydooker webpage

For more information on the winery go to the Mollydooker wines website

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. There are 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 the grapes are grown sustainably.

To get the best from your wine use the Mollydooker Shake .From a new bottle of Mollydooker, pour some wine out into a glass and set it aside. Do the Mollydooker Shake on the rest of the wine in the bottle, and pour some into another glass. Then taste them side by side. The difference will amaze you!
The winemaker says “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!”
Don’t worry, the first glass you poured isn’t wasted. After a short time, it loses nitrogen, so you can enjoy it soon after. We call it pourer’s perks!This wine is another classic from the Mollydooker stable as well as being a fun wine for happy occasions. 

Charles Melton Nine Popes GSM

Charles Melton Nine Popes GSM – Blend of Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre from old vines. Whilst the Nine Popes was initially modelled on Chateauneuf-du-Pape, it has evolved into an internationally recognised example of this style in its own right.

Medium deep colour, the bouquet is a lovely amalgam of cedar oak with softly sweet Grenache perfumes and some liquorice spice in the background. Elegantly defined palate with a fine balance between weight and strength., Plump mid palate with soft tannins. Some savoury grip to finish. Will richen in both perfume and body over the next decade.

Nine Popes is vinified with a couple of key objectives in mind. We use both whole bunch fermentation and destemmed but uncrushed berries during the maceration period, to ensure the greatest degree of fragrance along with cool fermentation temperatures and careful cap management to gain the silky texture and density that the Popes is known for. “Sur Lie” ageing in French oak for the whole 24-28 month maturation period adds additional mouthfeel and smoothness. The wine is then naturally settled and bottled without any finings whatsoever.

The grapes for the wines are drawn from some of the oldest and most venerable vines in the Barossa.
These gnarled old veterans, dry grown on a mix of estate vineyard and family owned blocks, reflect the unique style and traditions that produce the famed Barossa Valley red wine style.
Careful chemical-free husbandry delivers to the winery fruit of the purest flavours for the wine making team to shape into fine wines that truly reflect our Barossa earth. Yields are extremely low with often only one tonne to the acre, and the vineyards are truly old with many exceeding 80 years.

To see our full range of Charles Melton wines go to our web page

To find out more about the winery go to their website

Charles Melton Nine Popes GSM – a premier wine from a great winery

Stargazer Pinot Noir

Stargazer Pinot Noir – Silky Pinot Noir from Australia’s coolest state, fruity in the mouth and spicy on the nose, so that wild raspberry and rhubarb are harmonised with star anise, Chinese five-spice and cinnamon. Stargazer Pinot Noir ticks all the boxes.

Winemakers Notes

25% whole bunches with the remainder de-stemmed. The must was cold soaked for three days prior to warming up for wild ferment, which lasted for 5/6 days prior to being basket pressed to oak puncheons for malolactic fermentation. The wine was then left on lees in oak for eight months followed by two months in tank prior to bottling.

Food Pairing

A subtle style that would work with slow cooked lamb braises with middle eastern spices.

Producer Details

For information about our full range of Stargazer wines please go to our dedicated web page

For more information about the Stargazer winery go to their website

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 she found it.

Stargazer Pinot Noir- great wine from Tasmania