A Western Australia Mixed Case

Pitchfork Semillon Sauvignon Blanc

To see our full range of Pitchfork wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/pitchfork/

For more information on the winery go to https://hayshedhill.com.au/collections/pitchfork

The Hay Shed Hill vineyard is situated on a picturesque property that was established as a group settlement farm for returned soldiers from the First World War. Known as Sussex Vale the property was originally a dairy farm. The current homestead, considerably renovated, still has much of the original Group Settlement look and feel.
Vines were first planted in the early 1970s. In the late 1980’s the vineyard was bought by the Morrison Family and the wine brand Hay Shed Hill was established taking its name from the local reference to the hay shed located on the property. The sister label, Pitchfork, was developed to complement the single vineyard Hay Shed Hill label. A series of ownership changes saw numerous alterations to labels, wine style and distribution until the current group of partners bought back the farm and the brand in late 2006 and returned to the original concept of producing wine with integrity that expresses the quality of the site.

The Hay Shed Hill vineyard is located in the Willyabrup Valley, the premier sub-region of the Margaret River Wine region. Only 5 Km from the Indian Ocean with an elevated aspect, the vineyard thus enjoys the benefit of the ‘doctor’ the well-known sea breeze that comes off the ocean each afternoon and cools down the vineyard giving the fruit a much cooler climate character than the latitude of the vineyard might suggest. The vineyard is hilly with several aspects ranging from steep south facing slopes on which the best Semillon Sauvignon Blanc is located, to equally steep north facing slopes where the best Cabernet Sauvignon enjoys the full face of the sun. The majority of the vineyard is dry grown producing small yields of outstanding fruit.

Pitchfork Semillon Sauvignon Blanc- great wine from Western Australia

Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet/Sauvignon – A deep, rich & complex wine with notable power & concentration – enhanced by 18 months in French oak.

Son of’ the Vasse Felix Cabernet Sauvignon. It carries the structure, power and tannins of classic Cabernet in an earlier drinking, more forward style from fruit sourced from each of the Vasse Felix vineyards.TASTING NOTES APPEARANCE Bright maroon with a red brick edge. NOSE Deep, savoury Cabernet characters of blackcurrant, dark cherry, damp earth and cedar mingle with a spicy complexity care of the vibrant Malbec portion. PALATE Luscious and juicy upfront, the dark berry fruit is complemented by savoury elements of beef stock and dried woody herbs. There is a wonderful length of flavour as the palate transitions to a fine, textural and dusty drying finish, in classical Cabernet style.
WINEMAKER COMMENTS The great structural elements of fine Margaret River Cabernet are embraced with the dark fruit of Malbec to make a very Vasse Felix style. After 12-15 months maturation in barrique where traditional oxidative handling helps to soften and round the tannin profile, the Cabernet is blended with the ideal percentage of Malbec to create a savoury fine wine with medium weight, where big is not considered best. 

VARIETIES 86% Cabernet Sauvignon, 14% Malbec HARVESTED March-April 2016 PRESSING Pneumatic bag press FERMENTATION 24% Wild, 76% BDX (inoculated) FERMENTATION VESSEL Stainless steel fermenter TIME ON SKINS Average 10 days MATURATION French Oak Barrique 19% New French Oak, 81% 1-5 year old French Oak 12 months FINING Isinglass BOTTLED July 2017 TA 6.2g/L PH 3.59 RESIDUAL SUGAR 0.39g/L ALCOHOL 13.5% VEGAN FRIENDLY No CELLARING Now until 20

Vasse Felix Filius Cabernet/Sauvignon –  a great wine from a classic winery

To see our full selection of Vasse Felix wines please take a look at https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/vasse-felix/

For more information about the winery go to https://www.vassefelix.com.au/

This wine has all the classic taste and depth of many other cabernet sauvignons but at a price which makes it very affordable

Pitchfork Shiraz

Every vintage is different; lessons learned from the previous year don’t always help the following year.
2018 vintage started late, two to three weeks later than the preceding couple of years. The reason for this was the mild, cool spring weather experienced all across the southern part of the state. During the middle and latter part of March the South-West region including Margaret River experienced a very unusual amount of rain and very cool weather, ripening over this period was very slow. The first suggestions of worry started to appear in growers eyes. Of recent history Margaret River has experienced very dry conditions in March and early April with the season breaking mid to late April, not a problem with all the grapes picked. But this year the concern was that if the season broke in mid April all the red grapes would be still on the vine. However anyone that lived though the late April and early May in the SouthWest of Western Australia will testify that never had we had a better, warmer early autumn. It was simply perfect; cool crisp mornings and evenings but beautiful warm and sunny days; not too hot, textbook conditions for great ripening especially for the red varieties.
WINEMAKING: Shiraz from selected premium Margaret River vineyards were used to make this wine. Fermented in open stainless steel tanks with twice daily pumpovers aiding fruit tannin development. Maturation in new, 1, 2 and 3 year old French oak for 12 months encouraged wine development and structural complexity. The objective was to produce an elegant Shiraz with complex aromas and characters and with texture and structure, the use of French oak instead of traditional American oak gives rise to a wine of greater sophistication.
COLOUR: Vibrant youthful brilliant hue of good depth.

NOSE: Ripe cherry and plum fruits with chocolaty influences.
PALATE: The palate displays good depth of fruit concentration, ripe sweet fruit fleshiness in the mid palate and good flavour extension.
TECHNICAL INFORMATION VINTAGE: 2017 VARIETY: Shiraz 100% ALCOHOL: 14.0% GROWING REGION: Margaret River

To see our full range of Pitchfork wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/pitchfork/
For more information on the winery go to https://hayshedhill.com.au/collections/pitchfork

Pitchfork Shiraz – great Western Australia wine

Xanadu Exmoor Chardonnay

This bright and refreshing wine offers aromas and flavours of pear, grapefruit and nectarine with underlying hints of toast. It is medium-bodied with a creamy mouthfeel and a crisp, lingering finish.

92 points James Halliday
White peach and grapefruit stand out on the bouquet: a little more subtle is a saline/oyster shell like character which adds some interesting minerality. Fruit drives the palate, and there’s plenty of it, with juicy stone fruit and citrus all the way. Barrel ferment contributes some creaminess of texture, and the acidity provides freshness and verve from start to finish. (8/2018)
91 points Wine & Spirits
Xanadu’s least expensive chardonnay is two-thirds fermented in barrel, the balance in stainless steel. Only about five percent of the finished blend has seen new oak, and the wine is so fresh you might think it’s unwooded. Bright, brisk, clean and clear, this tastes of green apple and chamomile, with tart notes of underripe peach and grapefruit. Ready to drink tonight with any fresh catch. (10/2018)

Details from the winery about Xanadu Exmoor Drive Chardonnay: “All components (the majority being Gingin clone Chardonnay) were pressed without crushing, retaining relatively high solids in the juice after settling overnight. 65% of the blend was fermented in seasoned French oak barriques (only 5% new oak in final blend), the remaining 35% of the blend was fermented in tank using an aromatic yeast strain. Wild fermentation was encouraged on barrel fermented components, in order to introduce complexity and personality into the wine. All of the individual barrel fermented batches which make up the blend were lees stirred throughout a nine-month oak maturation period, without any malolactic fermentation; gaining texture throughout the year. The final blend was put together in November 2017. Pale straw colour. The bouquet of this fresh, fruit-driven Chardonnay displays honeydew melon, pear, and citrus characters with underlying hints of loquats and hay. Oak is merely a bystander, yet its subtle influence adds another layer to the fruit aromas. The palate is medium bodied offering gala apples and stone fruits with a delicate creamy texture derived from lees stirring. A bright refreshing wine; crisp and dry, with a lingering fruit finish.”

For our full range go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/xanadu/

For more information about this winery https://www.xanaduwines.com/

Xanadu Exmoor Chardonnay

Franklin Tate Cabernet Merlot

These Bordeaux varieties were processed individually with a portion fermented in open fermenters at temperatures up to 28°C. Control of tannin extraction and flavour preservation, were integral in the fermentation. Wine was pressed to Bordeaux style French oak, to complete malolactic fermentation. The wine was blended from its components after maturation. The Merlot adds plush fruit and leafy characters as well as providing juicy acidity, in contrast to the Cabernet Sauvignon’s structured, but ripe tannin profile.

For more information on the winery go to http://www.franklintateestates.com.au/

To see our range of Franklin Estate products go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/franklin-estate/

Franklin Tate Cabernet Merlot – great value wine from a Margaret River winery

Driftwood Estate Artifacts Chardonnay

Delicious complex aromas of lemon meringue pie, frangipanis, toasted cashews and a hint of gunpowder. A vibrant, rich, complex palate with creamy upfront texture, beautifully integrated oak and a fine minerally acid backbone that supports a cascade of floral aromas completing the Chardonnay.

BLEND Chardonnay 95%, Pinot Gris 5%

COLOUR Brilliant pale lemon with hints of green hues.

AROMATICS Delicious, vibrant aromas of lemon sherbet, white stone fruit and gunpowder with delicate floral complexity.

PALATE A lovely creamy texture supports intense lemon zest, crunchy nectarine, tropical notes and juicy acidity, providing a long fresh finish.

OAK MATURATION 50% Barrel fermentation (9% New French Oak), 50% tank fermented.

AGEING POTENTIAL Drink now or cellar to 2020.

WINEMAKING Hand-picked grapes were whole-bunch pressed to tank and then immediately transferred to barrel, while machined fruit was crushed, chilled, then pressed to tank; half was transferred to barrel while the remainder was tank fermented. All batches underwent a wild fermentation. Just over 9% new French oak was used. Following completion of fermentation SO2 was added to prevent malolactic fermentation and all batches were kept separate and lees stirred every 3 weeks over the 8 months maturation in barrel and tank.

To find out more about the Driftwood Estate winery go to https://www.driftwoodwines.com.au/about-us/

Driftwood Estate is a boutique winery set in the stunning Wilyabrup sub-region of Margaret River, Western Australia. Established by Tom and Helen Galopoulos in 1989 on what had previously been a country retreat, the winery immediately received acclaim when its first wine, a Semillon produced in 1993, won a special commendation in a British competition.

In 2009, leading Australian wine writer James Halliday rated Driftwood Estate as one of the best wineries in the Margaret River region. This result has continued into the 2018 Wine Companion, where Driftwood Estate has again been rated a 5 Star Winery. The vine resources are exceptional, having had years of nurturing to ensure they produce premium fruit showcasing the Wilyabrup sub-region beautifully.

To see our full range of Driftwood Estate wines go to https://www.auswinesonline.co.uk/product-category/driftwood-estate-wines/

Driftwood Estate Artifacts Chardonnay – another great Margaret \river wine.