$8099each $971DOZEN EACH DOZEN

In commemoration of a prominent railway siding, a conspicuous landmark which played a defining role in the fledging settlement of Coonawarra's fruitgrowing precincts. Completed in 1898, The Siding was the hub for transporting several hundred hogsheads of wine a year. A splendid effort at Cabernet Sauvignon, abundant with a vibrant spectrum of distinct varietal and regional expressions, red cherries, dark berries and mint. Approachable on release, while delivering the requisite characteristics synonymous with archetypal Coonawarra Cabernet.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Wynns are synonymous with Coonawarra and Cabernet Sauvignon. It is the region's great affinity for the Cabernet grape which prompted Melbourne wine merchants Samuel and David Wynn to purchase the original John Riddoch plantings and wineworks in 1951, re establishing the property as Wynns Coonawarra Estate. Samuel and David were inspired by the unique qualities of Coonawarra wines, their richness and intensity of fruit character, to build an independent identity for the entire region. Following a traditional vinification and rigorous selection to determine the final assemblage, The Siding is treated to a year's maturation in a mix of seasoned and new French and American oak barrels.

Bright vibrant with vivid purple hue. Concentrated black cherry and olive bouquets with defined blackcurrant and subtle choc mint, supported by hints of violets and aromatic dried herbs. Abundant palate exhibiting classic varietal and regional characteristics of red cherry, mint and dark berry flavours. A perfect integration of soft grainy tannins and subtle toasty oak create a vibrant wine with excellent length.

Yalumba planted the Menzies Vineyard in 1975 and 1994, with a view to establishing an elite marque of Coonawarra. Named after the unique cigar shaped strip of rich Terra rossa soils, Cigar is sourced mostly from the younger blocks at Menzies North and Menzies South. The wines from these superlative sites have a style of their own, as vines are influenced by a diverse range of elements to yield the most eloquently flavoured fruit. The Cigar is a fully engrossing Cabernet Sauvignon with intense, dark berry characters and the most equitable tannins.

$3399each $407DOZEN EACH DOZEN Crafted in similar fashion to the flagship Menzies Cabernet, Cigar is vinified to small batch winemaking techniques. The defining character of the source vineyards comes from the soils, classic full bodied red dirt. The grapes are crushed to small static fermenters, temperatures are allowed to peak early at 30C, then given more control around 20C. This ensures good extraction of colour and tannin. Grapes remain on skins for a week, some components are treated to an extended contact. After pressing, the wine completes malolactic, followed by twenty two months maturation in a combination of new and prior use French, American and Hungarian oak hogsheads and barriques.

Crimson red colour. A bouquet that fills the senses, floral high tones of violets and lavender underscored by bass notes of cherries and dark chocolate. The wine is bright with fresh red fruits such as cherries and currants sweeping the palate followed by a melted chocolate texture of soft tannins in complete harmony with the fruit, all the way to a long and lingering finish. The cabernet of choice to accompany charcouterie, antipasto or roast duck.

Menzies is a stellar single vineyard Cabernet from the House of Yalumba, grown to an exceptional site at the heart of cigar shaped Coonawarra Terra rossa. Since inaugural vintage, Menzies has been crafted to small batch techniques, maintaining the integrity of each constituent parcel right through to maturation. Only the finest of the candidate wines of vintage are selected before assembling into Yalumba's flagship Cabernet, crammed with rich blackberry fruit, supported by the most extravagant oak and polished, showroom tannins.

$5799each $695DOZEN EACH DOZEN Named after Australia's own Churchillian prime minister and red wine enthusiast, Menzies grows in stature and quality with each vintage. Grapes are crushed into small static fermenters where the liberations of colour and tannin are controlled by plunging the skins, irrigating the fermented wine over the cap and draining the juices from skins before flooding them back. Select parcels are given extended skin contact before pressing. Components are aged eighteen months in a selection of new and prior use American, Hungarian and French oak hogsheads and barriques, crafted at the Yalumba cooperage. The parts are assembled and treated to a further term in barrel before bottling.

Deep red with crimson hues. A bouquet of powerful cool climate Cabernet, notes of violet and briars, dark cherries, dark mocha couverture and hints of dry leaf forest floor. Rich and full bodied palate showing bright, ripe fruits of cassis and dark berries, savoury plums, the characteristic sea spray notes of Menzies vineyard. Mid palate is full of structure, finishing on a lingering length of powdery tannins.

Zema understand Coonawarra viticulture very well, it was their first workplace and home after immigrating to Australia, they still insist on personally husbanding their vines. Subtley contrasting mesoclimes and delicate variations of soil represent a palette of terroir, from which to craft a solidly structured Cabernet Sauvignon with malleable tannins, fragrant bramble fruit character and stylish oak, the essential construct of Coonawarra. Match Zema with succulently roast garlic lamb, twice cooked duck or slowly braised cheek of beef.

$2699each $323DOZEN EACH DOZEN Nicola Zema started working for Wynns in 1953, hand pruning, picking and planting, a job that continued until his retirement. His passion never abated, the Zema family's consuming ambition was to one day own a piece of Coonawarra's famed Terra rossa soils so that they could create their own wines. Grapes are harvested at the very moment they achieve optimal ripeness. The musts are vinified for several days under controlled temperatures in a combination of rotary and static fermenters. Assemblage and fourteen months maturation in a selection of small French and American oak barrels have contributed to the evolution of a wine characterized by richness and intensity.

Medium red colour with purple hue. Dark berries and spice on the nose, a subtle hint of regional mint and attractive violet lift. The palate is attractively textured and complex with rich ripe fruit, bold, dark red berry flavours and hints of regional mint are supported by well integrated oak and persistent tannins, before a persistent, balanced finish.

Zema excel in the construct of multi varietal Bordelais styled reds. The family is proudly traditional in their approach to vineyard practice, favouring hand pruning and limited irrigation to maximise quality. Demetrio and Francesca Zema chose their ground carefully in 1982. Cluny captures the mood of Bordeaux, the feel and the presence of fine Medoc. A masterfully fashioned cépage of pure alchemy, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Franc, magically brought forward through the addition of Malbec and patient ageing in smaller oak barrels.

$2499each $299DOZEN EACH DOZEN The enduring philosophy at tiny Zema is total commitment to a hands on approach. From soil to bottle, the family manages all aspects of the wine's quality. Zema's traditional vineyard practices of selection and minimal irrigation translate into harvests of the richest and most intensely flavoured grapes. Vines are all hand pruned, starting in June and continuing until August of each year. The key to success of the complex mix of varietals in Cluny is a painstaking harvest of the individual blocks of fruit at optimum maturity for each. Components are separately vinified in a mix of fermenters and oak, followed by fourteen months maturation in a combination of French and American hogsheads.

Dark red colour with purple hues. Ripe berry characters with a hint of regional mint and nutty vanillin oak. The palate displays attractive ripe red berry flavours, roundness and complexity. Well integrated oak and supportive tannins, an attractive acidity and full but soft tannin finish. Well structured with outstanding depth, the firm backbone of Cabernet is assisted by Merlot, Malbec and Cabernet Franc. Match with a lasagna of layered beef ragu and wide noodles, pork belly or veal.

The pick of the Zema crop and a big family secret, that this outstanding wine is produced in extremely limited quantities. Zema are proudly traditional in their approach to sustainable vineyard practice, controlling crop levels and hand pruning the vines. These practices are enhanced by the family's three strategically selected vineyard locations, capitalising on the regions subtle variations. Family Selection has all the characteristics of a classic Coonawarra Cabernet, concentrated, in a fuller style, with a big palate and exceptional balance.

$4499each $539DOZEN EACH DOZEN Coonawarra is well renowned for its remarkable Terra rossa, a thin metre of soil overlaying a deep formation of limestone, which yields the richest Cabernet Sauvignon grapes. Zema have applied old world traditions of site selection to identify the locations most suitable to viticulture. It all begins in the vineyard, as fruit is closely monitored throughout the ripening. The most outstanding parcels are selected for their intensity and varietal flavour. Family Selection is vinified under strictly controlled temperatures for a week, a component is treated to a course of oak barrel ferments for complexity. Two years maturation in French hogsheads and barriques has achieved a wine of textural richness.

Vibrant deep purple colour with brick red hues. Ripe dark berry aromas, a hint of mint supported by cassis and nutty oak. A full and flavoursome palate displaying intense ripe dark fruit, mint and refined cedary French oak. Full bodied, exhibits a memorable, enduring finish to fine grained, lingering tannins. Vigorous and well structured, long on flavour, nicely developed and already drinking extremely well.

After three decades of growing grapes for some of Australia's most esteemed labels, Zilzie began bottling the pick of the crop under their own own. Many years experience means that they know how to produce great wines while keeping them as accessible and easy to enjoy as possible, it's a delicate balancing act. Zilzie make a salient expression of Cabernet Sauvignon from fruit grown to Coonawarra's rich red iron soils, as distinctive for it's vigorous perfumes as it is for it's generousity of flavour and integration of French oak with stylish tannins.

$1799each $215DOZEN EACH DOZEN The team at Zilzie take a world's best practice approach to winemaking, while the winery may host the latest technology, they still believe that it's the quality of fruit and the human element which produces a truly memorable wine. Cabernet Sauvignon is sourced from choice Coonawarra vineyards, each separately harvested to a schedule based on full physiological ripeness, the individual parcels are separately handled. Batches are vinified in static and rotary fermenters to achieve optimal extraction of colour, good varietal definition and ripe tannins. Upon completion, batches are drained and pressed, followed by transfer into a selection of French oak barriques for a year's maturation.

Deep red with purple tinges. Vibrant Coonawarra nose of blackberry, cassis and plum characters, dark fruits and a touch of mint combined with sweet vanillin oak tones. A generous palate showing layers of rich dark berry fruit, complex and expressive, superbly balanced with a firm structure and soft, velvety, fine grained tannins over subtle oak. Ideally served with char grilled beef and rich jus.