Colin Preece is one of Victoria's great trail blazing winemakers, for decades the chief at Seppelt Great Western. A backbone of Mitchelton fruit provides the foundation of rich flavours to one of Australia's most dependable Cabernet wines. Oak maturation has softened the tannins, imparting chocolate, vanilla and spice flavours.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN In 1967 Melbourne entrepreneur Ross Shelmerdine commisioned wine industry stalwart Colin Pearce to find the best site for grape vines. Preece chose an old grazing property, prized for its climate, soil and proximity to the waterways. The estate was named Mitchelton and is home to the immensely popular Preece range of wines. Cabernet Sauvignon is selected from the best vineyards around the Goulburn Valley and central Victoria. Temperature controlled fermentations and regular pumpovers ensure full colour and flavour extraction from skins. The final wine is treated to a measure of maturation in a mix of seasoned French and American oak barrels for a year.

Deep red with bright crimson rim. Spiced cherries, pink plums and subtle maple. Bouquets of blackberry evolve as the wine breathes, subtle aged oak characters mate beautifully with the Cabernet fruit. Luscious plums and dark chocolate combine with tomato leaf and spice before a long, flavoursome finish over textured, even tannins.

Preece can be proud of a history spanning several decades and representing many of Victoria's most memorable vintage releases. The salubrious fruit growing terroirs of Goullburn are an idyll for the noble Chardonnay grape. Old and new world vinification techniques serve to place the quality of fruit right upfront, as framed by a judicious use of oak and supported by luxurious lees complexity. A generous Chardonnay wine delivering a punch of nectarine, rockmelon and vanilla flavours, offering good structure and lovely creamy textures.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Grapes are sourced from the estate vineyard at Mitchelton and neighboring sites in Goulburn Valley, choice parcels which can enhance the wine's lovely backbone of full, rich stonefruit flavours. Further complemented by the tangy citrus notes and refreshing natural acidity of choice parcels grown to good vineyards around Nagambie Lakes. Gentle handling of fruit during crushing and and the press are essential to minimize phenolics, cool fermentations are emplyed to retain freshness and vitality. Components are matured several months on sedimentary yeast lees in a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques to infuse the wine with complexity and build structure.

Pale straw hue. Fresh mango and melon nose over hints of nougat and delicately spiced oak. Lush palate full of peach and melon flavours, underscored by a refreshing citrus acidity and balanced oak. A refined finish on a length of juicy fruit characters and restrained oak. Match with crispy skin roast chicken and kipflers in herb jus.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Preece can be proud of a long and proud heritage, crafting fully approachable cool climate white wines of great elegance and style. Fruit is sourced from choice vineyards, many are in the higher altitudes of the Victorian highlands, cool ripening climes which bring out the best in Pinot Grigio. Harvests are selected on the basis of exemplary primary fruit characters, ranging from fragrant hazelnut and lychee, to luscious tropical characters, passionfruit, guava and tea tree.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Pinot Grigio has been one of Preece highest priorities for many years. Regular sampling and close monitoring of flavour development, as the fruit ripens on the vines, is essential to making good wine. A gentle pressing of grapes to avoid any bitterness from the skins and minimal exposure to oxygen throughout the entire process, ensures the retention of natural varietal characters and flavours. Temperature controlled ferments through the action of specialized yeasts enhance the aromaticness of a truly splendid Pinot Grigio.

$2099each $251DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Melbourne entrepreneur Ross Shelmerdine commissioned industry maestro Colin Preece in 1967 to find the best Victorian sites for making great wine. Preece chose an old grazing property in the Nagambie district of central Victoria for its climate, soil and proximity to waterways. Preece Shiraz is still vinified at the renowned Mitchelton wineworks, sourcing the best fruit from a diversity of vineyards to create a rich complex wine with expressions of spiced plum and juicy blackberries, supported by fine tannins and a measure of elegant vanilla oak.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Grapes are sourced from select sites within central Victoria including the Mitchelton estate vineyard which provides the foundation for the wine's profound varietal expression. Close attention to canopy and yield management on an individual site basis ensure the fruit achieves full flavour expression. Ferments are temperature controlled and treated to regular pumpovers for full colour and flavour extraction from skins. The finished wine is matured in a combination of seasoned French and American oak barrels, to impart mellow chocolate, vanilla and spice characters while softening the tannins.

Rahona Valley wines are all produced from a single four acre property within a small valley at Red Hill on the Mornington Peninsula. The growing conditions are excellent, deep, well drained red basalt soils nurture the vines, as the cool maritime climes lead to a long, slow ripening period. Oak barrels impart a very important part of the flavour profile, one of the most significant costs each year. The annual visit of the cooper, a few months before harvest, is one of those pivotal occasions that go a long way to setting the style of wine each and every vintage.

$2799each $335DOZEN EACH DOZEN An assemblage of five clones Pinot Noir, each component and vineyard lot is crushed and destemmed into open vats as they are picked. Grapes are macerated for several days, by which time they begin a spontaneous fermentation. Upon completion, each vat is closed and allowed to soak for a further seven to fourteen days. Whilst maintaining the identity of each individual parcel, the wine is pressed to a combination of new and prior use French oak barrels where it rests undisturbed until bottling. Typically, oak from the forest of Troncais in the Allier region of central France produces particularly good timber, the most highly priced of all, it is the oak of choice at Rahona Valley.

Deep scarlet colour. Ripe aromas of plum, black cherry and spice, vanilla bean and clove, sage leaf and toast. A wine of refinement and definition, it's light to medium bodied palate presents a mix of berry fruits, rhubarb and currant, cranberry, stalk and earth. Balanced tannins and refreshing acidity, the restrained use of new Fench oak allows the fruit to express the character of Mornington's maritime clime.

Robert and Mem Kirby planted the first Yabby Lake Vineyard at Red Hill in 1992, following up with extended plantings on the Moorooduc sub region in 1998. Red Claw is the embodiement of collaboration between some of Australia's best winemakers and viticulturalists. The most splendid harvests of Mornington Chardonnay are given a no expenses spared course of French oak ferments and lees battonage, for a rich, textural style which articulates Mornington and proffer a touch of La Bourgogne.

$2899each $347DOZEN EACH DOZEN A juggernaut of activity has seen the Yabby Lake vineyards establish a position amongst Victoria's finest. The creation of Red Claw, in reference to freshwater yabbies, has been inspired by the estate's enthusiasm to produce quality wines which are accessible and truly expressive of Mornington Peninsula. Fruit is hand harvested, gently whole bunch pressed in small batches and completely barrel fermented, whilst being treated to a course of lees stirring in a combination of new and seasoned French 500 litres oak puncheons. Aged on yeast lees for several months before assembling into a wine that's bright and fresh, with loads of class, a cultured yet affable Chardonnay that you can take anywhere. Alcohol 12.5%

Bright intense pale straw color with green tinges. Lifted aromas of clean citrus notes, stonefruit and a hint of spicy French oak. The palate leads off with beautifully textured and rounded fruit intertwined with the natural acidity that runs through the mouth binding the wine and leading into a lovely long complex finish.

The Yabby Lake team know about things Heathcote Shiraz. Red Claw is clearly a very special wine, crafted from hand picked parcels of the most intensely flavoured fruit, harvested off the prestigious Heathcote Estate Vineyard. A stately construct of Shiraz, layered with viscous black berry fruit flavours and sheathed in carriage of stealthy terra rosa tannins.

$2899each $347DOZEN EACH DOZEN Heathcote is renowned the world over for Shiraz. The rich red Cambrian soil and dry mild climate provide the idyllic foundation for producing world class wines. Yabby Lake enjoy close ties to the region and have secured fruit from the best vineyards, expressly for the formulation of powerful yet approachable wines. Parcels of Shiraz from the prestigious Heathcote Estate property are vinified for three weeks on skins in a traditional mix of open and closed fermentation vessels. Upon completion, components are pressed to a selection of seasoned and new, exclusively French oak hogsheads and barriques for fifteen months maturation and a periodic course of racking for clarification before assemblage.

Dark red/purple. Lovely intense Shiraz fruit leaps from the glass, berry fruits, spices and clove dominate, brooding with underlying scents of pepper, herbs of provence and classy French oak. The palate is loaded with dark fruited intensity, texture, balance and length of palate. Lush ripe sweet berries are followed by subtle nuances of spice and toasted oak.

Outstanding quality wines can only be made from the finest fruit, judiciously harvested off closely managed vineyards, planted to the most splendid sites. Inspired by the classic, pure varietal wines of Burgundy and the Rhone, Red Claw are a tribute to the unique terroirs of Mornington, as cultivated by the skills of the eminent Yabby Lake viticultural team. Their collaborative approach and deep commitment to producing the very finest, has crystallized into vintages of the most remarkable wines.

$2899each $347DOZEN EACH DOZEN For everyone at Yabby Lake, respect for the soil and reverence of the growing season are an essential part of making great wines. The combination of a warm site in a cool region means that Pinot Gris ripens in good order to produce wines of outstanding quality. The favourable microclimes translate into fully ripened fruit harvested to idyllic conditions. Pinot Gris is hand picked and whole bunch pressed. After settling, batches are racked for vinification. Upon completion of ferments, parcels are held on sedimentery lees and stirred fortnightly to build textural palate richness.

Pale straw, greenish hues. Complex aromas, hints of honey and hay, lychees and a touch of spice. The palate leads off beautifully textured and rounded, following through with an array of complex and delicate floral nuances, oranges and sultana, lychee and cut hay notes. Sweet fruit is enhanced by a clean, crisp lingering finish.

Yabby Lake are well positioned to produce the most generously proportioned styles of new world Pinot Noir, vinified to traditional Burgundian techniques. Significant resources have been devoted to developing Yabby Lake's vineyard to the highest possible standard. An assemblage of Pinot Noir clones MV6 and G5V15, clones 114, Pommard and Abel for structure and complexity, the inclusion of a parcel clone 115 imparts layers of elegance, rich fragrant aromas and a long silky palate.

$3099each $371DOZEN EACH DOZEN Every aspect of Yabby Lake vineyard's establishment was fundamenal to the success of its wines many years later, from soil mapping to climate analysis to vine layout. Selection of site was the priority, the vineyard was planted from the ground up to the most exacting requirements. Pruned and closely managed vines, yield limited harvests of intense flavour, translating into well balanced wines. A mixture of destemmed and whole bunch fruit are filled into open fermenters for three days of cold soak. A week or more of ferments is followed by transfer to a selection of French 500 litres oak puncheons for ten months maturation, a final racking and assemblage into the finished wne.

Deep crimson in colour. The aromas are dominated by cherry, strawberry and dark berry fruits complemented by a touch of spice and underlying French oak. The palate has a lovely soft and velvety texture, with powerful flavours of dark fruits and a finely structured finish. Have it with duck or venison, game dishes and washed rind cheese.