Ultimate Red Mixed Case

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

Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec by Vasse Felix

Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec- Vasse Felix, Margaret River’s founding wine estate, was established by Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967. Among his first plantings were Cabernet Sauvignon and
Malbec vines, from which he produced the estate’s first red wine. The TOM CULLITY descends from these original vines and represents the purest expression of our history, place and vintage; the pinnacle of Vasse Felix. 

Appearance

Ruby garnet with a hint of brick emerging.

What is on the Noise

A tight, layered, and intriguing perfume, revealing hints of boysenberry, blue plum, orange peel and peanut husks. Subtle floral and botanical accents emerge, with lavender, native peppy tree, and potpourri.

On the Palate

A soft and plump entrance envelops a fine-boned structure, lifted by a gentle freshness. A beautifully velvety, almost cashew-like texture, the wine is light yet deep, elegant yet powerful, complex yet effortless. The refined finish lingers with hints of white pepper, cedar, and wet stone over a backdrop of boysenberry.

Elegant with incredible purity of fruit. Perfumed aromas of red and black currants, juicy ripe plums and tobacco leaves with bitter chocolate, crushed blackberries, dried herbs and cedar. The midweight palate is succulent but not fat, showing finely integrated tannins and great depth. A beautiful, superbly approachable wine that still has a long life ahead in bottle. Great tension and minerality. A blend of 81% cabernet sauvignon and 19% malbec. Drink or hold.

Vasse Felix was established by Margaret River pioneer Dr Thomas Brendan Cullity in 1967 and is the region’s founding wine estate.

Dr Cullity’s original aim for Vasse Felix was simple – to make the best possible wine, and prove the untapped potential of a place that was hypothesised to be superb for fine wine growing. Through ingenuity and tenacity, he made Margaret River’s first serious wines in 1972; a Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec and a Riesling, marking a milestone in Australian wine history.

To see our full selection of Vasse Felix wines please take a look at our Vasse Felix webpage

For more information about the winery go to the Vasse Felix website

Tom Cullity Cabernet Sauvignon Malbec by Vasse Felix

Noon Eclipse

Noon Eclipse – The vines which produce this wine surround the house and the furthest are 500m from it, so they are very familiar in all their seasonal guises. They are like old friends. They have pruned and tended them since they  were children and so the appearance of the vines themselves, the leaves and the bunches as they develop, is very familiar. They feel like they share a life experience with them and so they are close to their hearts.

The wine they produce from them reflects this vineyard and their region. Noon Eclipse is produced predominately from Grenache (80-90%+), along with small amounts of Shiraz and Graciano.

Ideal drinking time is generally at 5-10 years of age, when the wine is still youthful but has gained complexity and softness from time in bottle. Most of our customers tell me they find the wines to be still quite youthful at this age but I prefer to be conservative with recommended cellaring times, allowing for people’s different cellaring conditions. And it’s far better to drink them a little too young than too old as there’s no going back!

You can also drink your Eclipse much earlier than this of course. There’s plenty of enjoyment to be had from drinking at 1-5 years when the wine is robust and full of vigour. At this age I recommend giving the wine some air and a little time to breathe to soften the tannins before consuming. Decanting an hour or more ahead will do this. The younger the wine the tighter the tannins and the more time required. When we drink the current release, we usually find it tastes even better the next day.

Noon Eclipse is matured in seasoned 300 litre French and American oak barrels and large (Foudre and demi-muid sized) oak casks for 18 months.

The grapes are picked by hand and fermentation takes place in small open vats with manual pigeage, to help extract colour and tannins. Pressing is also done by hand, using manual basket presses which are gentle and do not extract too much bitterness or astringency.

Very little is added or taken away by modern winemaking technology. We prefer to take a minimalist approach, believing that this will deliver a wine which genuinely reflects the grapes and the site.

Noon Eclipse is grown, made and bottled on the estate.

For more information on the winery go to their website

To see our other Noon wines go to our dedicated web page

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 crimson with violet hues. The wine boasts spicy, perfumed aromas of blackcurrant, violet, anise and cedar, with black olive, bay leaf and cardamom. The palate is bright, vibrant and textural with pristine cassis building into complex layers of cocoa, cedar and sandalwood. Balanced acidity provides freshness and structure to the plush fruit, framed by an elegant tannin profile that persists to the long fine, seamless finish.

VINIFICATION

Grapes were hand-harvested between 14th and 16th April. This single vineyard was divided up into separate parcels with the 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 (8% new and 92% seasoned) hogshead barrels. The wine matured for 18 months in oak before blending and bottling.

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.

By clicking here you can see and buy our Henschke wines now. 

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

Henschke Cyril Cabernet Sauvignon

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.

WINERY DETAILS

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.

The attention to detail and commitment to excellence at Mollydooker is reflected in everything the estate does.

Mollydooker (Aussie for left hander, because Sarah is left handed) was established in March 2006 in the McLaren Vale, with a state-of-the-art winery and 114 acres of vineyards on the magic Seaview Ridge – home to most of the iconic McLaren Vale wines. Sarah is the sole owner and winemaker, running Mollydooker with the help of her team who continue to make the handcrafted wines for which they are rightly famous.

MOLLYDOOKER SHAKE

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. 

Grains of Paradise Shiraz by Charles Melton

Charles Melton Grains of Paradise Shiraz – Fruit from one of Charles Melton`s finest Barossa blocks makes up the majority of this wine. It is a more elegant model of the Barossa Shiraz tradition but still retains the warmth and generosity of the Barossa. Sweet rich warm and cuddly. Big firmer classic Barossa style in contrast to the Voices. Less new oak evident and more a style that will evolve into that sweet cedar Barossan burgundy style that typified Barossa Shiraz. Dark, rich, fruitcake flavours that will complex and soften with age.

Deep opaque colour. First impression is lifted vanillin with savoury spice fruit following. Weighty coffee/mocha flavour and structure in the mouth with a touch of greengage plum and apparent tannins. Has excellent density and lingering flavours that will stand this wine in great stead in the cellar.
VINIFICATION
A mix of hand plunged & pump over techniques in the traditional style influenced this wine. No whole bunch is undertaken for the Grains of Paradise Shiraz and the wine is finished in barrique with all the press wine included. American Oak is sent to France for a 36 month European seasoning before being coopered into barriques using the immersion bending technique The wine is then aged “sur lie” to give our interpretation of the traditional Barossa style with a contemporary twist.

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 Wines has produced premium Barossa red wines, always at our winery on Krondorf Road, since 1984. It was in the mid 80’s that Charlie and a small band of Barossa winemakers turned their winemaking efforts to what was considered then a couple of unfashionable varieties; Shiraz and Grenache.

With these varieties, Charlie built a small range of classic dry reds including a Grenache/Shiraz/Mourvedre blend called the Nine Popes. These wines were initially styled on those from the Rhone but are now considered leading examples of the varieties in their own right.

Grains of Paradise Shiraz by Charles Melton