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VERAE IS THE DELICIOUS LIGHT BODIED RED THAT EVERYONE'S TALKING ABOUT. Fashioned from Shiraz and Riesling grapes grown to good vineyards on the Limestone Coast. Serve it straight from the ice bucket as a pre-dinner drink, or take it right through a meal from entree to dessert. It's light enough for a summer's day, but with the depth and complexity of flavour to take you into the night. Verae combines luscious red berry flavours with tangy citrus characters. Delicately spritzed, irresistible when chilled, to be enjoyed at every possible occasion.
LILY FARM IS THE VINEYARD IN FRONT OF GRANT'S HOUSE NEAR TANUNDA, planted to vine some thirty years ago. Frontignac is a wine that typifies the fruit from which it is made, showing a distinctively, pleasant grape flavour. Frontignanc is unique amongst varietals in that the wine actually tastes and smells of ripe, luscious grapes. Grant Burge make a style of Frontignac that's more generous and engaging, the sweetness of fruit is matched by an adults only complexity, multi dimensional with vivid aromatics and layers of fruit.
HAND PICKED BUNCHES OF CHARDONNAY AND PINOT NOIR ARE CRUSHED INTO A SELECTION OF PREDOMINANTLY SEASONED FRENCH OAK BARRIQUES FOR VINIFICATION BY PETALUMA'S OWN STRAINS OF YEAST. Upon completion, batches are inoculated to a bacteria isolate for malolactic, adding complexity to the wine while softening the high natural acid. Components are then assembled and treated to a secondary fermentation in bottle. The finished Croser is aged on yeast lees for a minimum of three years before disgorgement, liqueur dosage and reseal.
A COLLATION OF PARCELS GROWN TO GOOD VINEYARDS IN THE EDEN AND BAROSSA VALLEYS. The elegance of Cabernet picked off estate vines on the cooler ripening elevated aspects of Valley Eden, coalesce handsomely with the richness of parcels harvested from lower elevations. Open canopy management and moderate yields translate into a generously flavoured wine with lovely fragrances and sleek tannins. Mountadam were amongst the first to recognize Eden Valley as a superior mesoclime for Cabernet Sauvignon, now fully mature, they are now the finest cool climate vines in the land.
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The Oatley Wines
story is of the legendary Oatley family themselves, supported by an outstanding group of extended family and friends
The Oatleys have played an important part in the Australian wine industry since their first vintage at Rosemount Estate in 1974. Those wines were the predecessors of many hundreds of highly awarded and recognised bottlings of fine Australian wine under the Oatley family direction. With the 2001 merger of Rosemount to Southcorp Wines and the subsequent sale of Southcorp to Foster’s in 2005, the Oatleys decided to re-enter the wine business. Logically they followed their calling back to the vineyard and established Oatley Wines, quickly gathering a team of extended family and friends to do the job.
Situated on the western slopes of the Great Dividing Range in central western New South Wales, Mudgee is one of Australia’s leading and burgeoning premium wine growing regions. At around three and a half hours drive (261kms) north west of Sydney, Mudgee is the home to over 40 cellar doors and 16 operational wineries at an elevation range of 450-1080m in altitude with the vineyards mostly found between 450-650m. At the 2006 NSW Wine Awards, the trophies for Best Young Dry Red and Mature Dry Red were both awarded to Mudgee Shiraz. The Oatley family’s Australian history dates back to 1815 when Bob’s grandfather, a talented clockmaker, settled in Sydney. The southern suburb of Oatley was named after him in the 1880s. Mudgee was settled in 1822, Craigmoor Winery established in 1858 and the first vines planted at Rosemount in 1864. During the 1860s to 1870s gold was discovered in and around Mudgee, and wine production boomed until the financial crash of the 1890s. By the 1960s there were just two surviving wineries in Mudgee, yet Bob Oatley had begun planting grapes and buying vineyards nearby at Denman. The rest, as they say, is history. Mudgee is now the vinous home and heart of the Oatley family. Their experiences with the region date back to the 1970s, and they bought their first vineyard, Mountain Blue in the 1990s. The wine from that vineyard was such a success they embarked on an acquisition program that despite some sales, now counts seven distinctly different vineyards in the region. Reflective of the region’s current success, the Oatleys believe that Mudgee has excellent, somewhat untapped potential for chardonnay, shiraz, cabernet and merlot, along with a handful of interesting Italian varietals. Mudgee is famous for full-bodied reds and fine chardonnay, with some of the country’s earliest plantings at Craigmoor. The Oatleys have been growing grapes here for over thirty years and now own seven distinct vineyard sites making the family the largest grape grower in the region. To the Mudgee properties already owned by Bob, Sandy and Ian, they added the Montrose and Craigmoor properties where they now make and sell Oatley Wines. The Montrose winery put Italian varietals such as sangiovese on the map when Carlo Corino planted Australia’s first cuttings in the 1960s. The estate's first label is Robert Oatley, named for the company chairman and representing the best made each year; and Wild Oats, named after Bob’s madly successful super maxi yacht Wild Oats XI. The underlying philosophy has been to find the right vineyard with the right soil and match it to the right variety – no matter where that vineyard may happen to be. From humble beginnings in the Hunter Valley, the Oatleys went on to own and develop vineyards in many of Australia’s top regions including Orange, Heathcote, McLaren Vale, Langhorne Creek, Adelaide Hills and Coonawarra.
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.
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. In 1980 Majella sold their first grapes to Wynn's Coonawarra EstateThis 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. 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.
Clifford Bay's home
is the famed Marlborough winegrowing region of New Zealand’s South Island
The estate's name comes from nearby Clifford Bay, located at the eastern entrance of the Cook Strait and the Tasman Sea. To the north are the stunning White Cliffs and beyond that is Cloudy Bay. Since first vintage in 1997 Clifford Bay have worked diligently to produce fruit driven wines that are finely balanced, refreshing and pure. The Marlborough growing region is a diverse landscape, marked by expansive, flat valleys, streams, jagged hills and mountains. As well as being home to the idyllic Marlborough Sounds, it is the largest wine producing region in New Zealand. Marlborough is one of New Zealand’s sunniest and driest areas: the region receives about 2,400 sunshine hours per year. Warm days, cool nights and an average daily temperature of 18º C (64º F) ensure that Marlborough wines possess vibrant fruit flavours, firm acidities and heightened aromatics.
Clifford Bay harvest fruit from both estate and grower vineyards located in Marlborough’s two marquee regions: the Awatere and Wairau Valleys. All vineyards are Sustainable Winegrowing New Zealand certified. Awatere Valley takes its name from the local river and is the cooler of the two regions. It features a unique stony Greywacke alluvium soil that is well draining and ideal for grapes. Wines from Awatere tend to be high toned, ethereal, vibrant and minerally. Wairau Valley is located to the north of Awatere, this region derives its name from the Wairau River which flows from the mountains in the west to the ocean at Cloudy Bay. It possesses shallow, stony, fast-draining soils that encourage low yields and powerful, bracing wines. Clifford Bay Sauvignon Blanc is all about expressive fruit flavours. The wine possesses a light straw colour and tropical aromas of guava, melon and citrus. The palate exhibits the same fine flavours followed by a crisp, dry, flinty finish. One of the charms of our Pinot Gris is its subtle elegance. The wine delivers aromas of pear, apple and spice followed by flavours that are round and concentrated. The lively finish possesses the distinctive minerality found in all of Clifford Bay wines. Clifford Bay Pinot Noir is always a wine of elegance and balance. The bright garnet colour opens the door for vibrant aromatics packed with black cherries, violets, red fruits and spicy French oak. The flavours are intensely fruity, lush and delicious. As with every Clifford Bay wine, fruit is the focal point in the Chardonnay. A subtle dash of wood only enhances the citrus, apple and pear notes in the nose and on the palate.
The philosophy behind
Angus The Bull is to create a unique and innovative wine that provides an ideal accompaniment to prime beef
Angus the Bull was a simple idea that just wouldn't go away. It soon became an obsession and then when it reached the point where it occupied all his waking moments, Hamish MacGowan finally decided 'enough was enough' and in 2003 established the Aberdeen Wine Company to turn his unique concept into a reality. With all his energy now focused entirely on creating a new brand positioned to provide the ideal vinous accompaniment to prime beef, he chose to work exclusively with his favourite variety, Cabernet Sauvignon and set about locating the most promising parcels from across Victoria and South Australia. Confident he had achieved the required wine style and developed a very deliberate marketing strategy backed up with some smart packaging, Hamish launched his debut 2002 vintage, and hasn't looked back since.
Each year the most promising parcels are hand selected and blended from premium Cabernet Sauvignon grapes sourced from a number of outstanding wine regions across Victoria and South Australia. The flexibility of this multi-regional blending approach allows for the best attributes of individual regions to be captured and combined for exceptional results. Five Stars - If you are thinking elegant, fragile, subtle - think again. Could anything be less subtle than a whopper gutsy red wine with horns on the label? I think there is the slightlest posibility they are trying to send a subliminal message that it might just go well with a steak. They'd be right. This will cost you far less than a decent slab of dead cow, so grab the bull by the horns. - Stuart Gregor A rare 100% Cabernet Sauvignon regional blend from South Australia that is sure to turn some heads. It overflows with black fruits and a smoky/hazy thick nose topped by vanilla and all-spice. In the mouth, it's aggressive with assertive tannins, campfire smoke, a blanket of dark juice that coats the innards and laced with liquorice and spice. Think beef and Angus, like Romeo and Juliet. - Rick Van Sickle, Calgary Sunday Sun 90 Points - Wow! What a spectacular value 100% Cabernet Sauvignon. Four thousand cases of this gorgeously rich, pure, medium to full bodied 2002 were produced. A dense ruby/purple colour is followed by copious quantities of creme de cassis, spice, and earth aromas. Rich textured, it is a total hedonistic turn-on that readers should consider purchasing by the case. Why can't any California wineries produce a Cabernet Sauvignon this special for a similar price? Drink it over the next 4-5 years. - Robert Parker, Wine Advocate Hot-Blooded Cab Sauv Hits A Niche! Its name conjures up images of a big, bold and fiery red -- and the taste delivers. An ideal accompaniment to thick, fat and juicy steaks. The wine is dense, inky black, with intense black fruits and violets with light smoky-oak characters. Full-bodied and rich in flavour, it has concentrated ripe fruits and a bold finish. Good to drink now, it will continue to improve over the next six years. - Belinda Heggen Adelaide Sunday Mail |
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