$24999each $2997DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Charles Melton was road tripping across Australia when his broken down EH Holden forced him to grab the first job. It was Krondorf and he wound up working with Peter Lehmann. Melton travelled to France and developed the beginnings of what would become a life long passion for the wines of vallée du Rhône, in particular Shiraz. Darkly scented plum pudding lift, fine sweet oak in support of generous mouthfilling palate, rich but exquisitely balanced, lovely complex length of flavour, all that we love about the affable, big hearted Barossa style.

$7999each $959DOZEN EACH DOZEN

A collation of choice parcels Shiraz from the Krondorf Village districts in Barossa. All grapes are dry grown and great emphasis is placed on the quality of fruit. Yields are extremely low, often only one or two tonne per acre. Parcels are vinified and assembled to contruct the most complete wine, in terms of balance between pure fruit flavours and earthy/ gamey qualities. A style which has a kiss of sweet oak, allowing the rich fragrance and flavours of old dry grown vines to remain at the fore, a Shiraz of intense flavours and richness by a Barossa master.

$4599each $551DOZEN EACH DOZEN Blocks of vine are picked in different lots to provide a full range of flavours. Parcels are treated to the full Charles Melton melange of techniques, whole bunch fermentation along with destemmed but uncrushed fruit. Cap management techniques include pigeage and hand plunging, as well as daily pumpovers throughout a week of vinification. Batches are filled to a mix of French and American oak barriques for completion of ferments, at a range of alcohols between 12.0% and 17.0%, fortuitously not too much quantity at either extreme, delivering a fascinating palate from which to assemble. An extended course of two years maturation on gross lees achieves a Barossa Shiraz of outstanding weight and complexity.

Lovely deep dark colour. Intense black fruits with a little smoky oak influence showing through. Very lifted nose with a faint camphor/ methanol note but not intrusive. An array of plum and blackberrry flavours seasoned by a twist of the pepper mill, a long spicy palate showing cedar oak and savoury chocolate, finishing with firm, rounded tannins. The weight of fruit is there, the elegance shines through.

$29999each $3597DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Melton was christened Graeme but given the nickname Charlie by his long term mentor, the legendary Peter Lehmann. It was during a tour of duty amongst the illustrious vineyards of Chateauneuf du Pape that Charlie acquired his deep passion for the sublime grace of old vines Grenache. The Reformation is crafted from precious parcels, hand picked off distinguished Barossa plantings, seventy to a hundred years of age. A mix of destemmed and whole bunch grapes are vinified on skins and pressed into a selection of French and American oak for twenty to thirty months before the final assemblage.

$4299each $515DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Charles Melton's life long passion for Grenache began during a working tour of the Rhone Valley in the 1980s. At the time, Australian Grenache was being used mainly for cheap, high alcohol, fortified wines, Charlie however, started experimenting in the vineyard, pruning the old vines harder so they would produce lower yields of better berries. All Melton's vineyards are unirrigated and dry grown, some are in excess of 130 years old, yielding fruit of the most intense natural sweetness, even when fermented to bone dry, a quality of Grenache that's without peer anywhere in the world.

$7299each $875DOZEN EACH DOZEN

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$7999each $959DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Beaucastel is one of the great renditions of Chateauneuf-du-Pape, itself one of the principal appelations in all France. One of the richest and most complex cepage allowed under Origine Controlee law, components of Grenache and Cinsault provide the deep colour, intensity and softness. Parcels of Mourvedre and Syrah, Muscardin and Vaccarese give the wine its renowned ageing potential and classic, dark fruit character. The Counoise, Picpoul and other aboriginal grapes contribute freshness, suave fragrance and distinctive aromatic élan.

$23499each $2819DOZEN EACH DOZEN If one word could describe the wines of Beaucastel it would be that they are pure, a natural expression of the place whence they come. Diluvial alpine deposits with rolled pebbles over a former sea bed of the miocene epoch. Grapes are hand picked and hand sorted as they arrive to the winery. The skins of the whole berries are first heated to 80C then cooled to 20C. Maceration is traditional, in open top wooden vats for Syrah and Mouvedre, in concrete vats for the others. The separately vinified varietal components are assembled after completion of malolactic. The whole wine is then aged in large French oak casks for a year before fining with egg white. A further year's bottle age takes place under the estate cellar.

Very dark ruby colour with purple overtones. Elegant nose is intense on ripe fruits, blackberry jam and a hint of licorice. The mouth is bold and full bodied with great balance between the tannins and the flesh. An impressive vintage for today and for the future.

$11399each $1367DOZEN EACH DOZEN

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