$2599each $311DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Gapsted are real wines made by real people, a partnership between dedicated viticulturalists and a distinguished winemaking team. The propitious compact means that everything by Gapsted carries the signature and personality of the people involved, the charm of small vineyards and influence of choice microclimes. The labour of love and passion by mates who share a desire to create appealing and personable wines, Tobacco Road is a compelling example of high country Merlot, endowed by ripe red fruit flavours and supported by well structured tannins.

$1999each $239DOZEN EACH DOZEN Careful and meticulous winemaking practices and specialized viticulture are employed to ensure the highest quality cool climate wine. Central to the process is the method of canopy vine management which allows gentle morning sunlight and soft mountain breezes to delicately ripen fruit, producing vibrant colours and intense fruit flavours. Fruit is vinified in small batches through inoculation to choice Bordeaux yeasts and transferred to French oak for the completion of malolactic ferments. The best wines from individual barrels are selected according to intensity of colour, good varietal fruit definition and ripe, supple tannins. Components are racked and assembled into the finished wine.

Bright cherry colour with hues of garnet red. Plummy fruitcake nose, juicy cherry and licorice aromas underpinned with five spice and marzipan. Soft plummy ripe red fruit flavours to the palate, richly underpinned by sweet fruit and velvety soft tannins. The finish is weighty, warm and persistent. Enjoy with lasagna or stuffed oven baked eggplant.

$2899each $347DOZEN EACH DOZEN

$5699each $683DOZEN EACH DOZEN

When Grant Burge released his first pure varietal Merlot, there were only two other such wines in Australia. Burge is a pioneer of Barossa Merlot, planting the first exclusively Merlot vineyard at Hillcot in 1980. The fully mature vines can now yield grapes with intensely concentrated flavours, displaying the charm and characteristic softness expected of truly fine Merlot. Often called upon to soften the palate of more tannic varietals, pure Merlot makes a natural match to lamb and potato recipes.

$2699each $323DOZEN EACH DOZEN Fruit is harvested off twenty year old vines, planted to Burge's Hillcot property in the Barossa. Grapes are delivered immediately to the Burge wineworks at Tanunda and crushed into static overhead fermenters, where they remain on skins for a week of extraction. Ferments are allowed to peak at 32C, then cooled to 22C, for the retention of plummy fruit characters. Juices are racked and returned every second day, pumped over thrice daily to further intensify the colour and flavours. Batches are transferred to a selection of American and European oak puncheons for completion of ferments, followed by the final assemblage and return to barrel for twenty months maturation.

Ruby red in colour. A bouquet of red fruits and blackberry, sweet spice and hints of dark chocolate. The aromas are complimented by a subtle herbal earthiness and charry oak. The palate is soft and fleshy, exhibiting more dark berry fruits and sweet raspberries. Hillcot shows excellent structure with soft approachable tannins and an elegant lingering finish. A terrific match with lamb and potatoes.

Despite their enviable international reputation and formidable list of awards, Hollick are a small family vineyard winery at the southern end of the Coonawarra Terra Rossa strip. Since inaugural release, Hollick have received resounding critical acclaim for their innovative Sparkling Merlot. Bottled under crown seal to retain the powerful fruit and richness of mousse, serve chilled at every occasion, or as the Hollick team suggest, alongside smoked salmon and eggs benedict over grilled brioche Ouefs Hollique for a wickedly indulgent brunch.

$2999each $359DOZEN EACH DOZEN Merlot lends itself ideally to wines of this style, intense fruit flavours and soft structure carry through to the finished wine following its secondary fermentation. Grapes are sourced from the Wilgha vineyard, a site which continually produces fruit with highly perfumed qualities, excellent structure and generous, fully ripe tannins. Fruit is picked at ripe Baumes, crushed and vinified on skins for six days in Potter fermenters. This base wine is then matured in a mixture of French and American oaks of varying ages for eighteen months. Secondary fermentation is induced by the addition of yeast and sugar, infusing a fine persistent bead, integrated toasty qualities and generous mouthfeel.

Vibrant purple with crimson hues. Clean and fresh aromas of violet, plums and blackberry are enhanced by dark chocolate notes. A wine of elegance and instant appeal, generously fruity with a predominance of plums, blueberry and raspberry flavours. Savour the mesmerising array of festive cake characters, a moreish wine and sophisticated indulgence, endowed with soft tannins, dulcet fruit flavours and vivacious effervescence.

$4999each $599DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Crafted by one of Australia's most accomplished, highly specialized handlers of Merlot, assembled from components that are shared with the estate's Grand Merlot flagship. Very much a new world wine crafted with old world exactitude, offering generous helpings of varietal plum and chocolate spice. Irvine's entry level Merlot is fashioned for everyday enjoyment at a hard to find level of sophistication.

$2799each $335DOZEN EACH DOZEN An assemblage from the estate's elite Springhill vineyard, Bartholomaeus in the Eden Valley and richer, earthy wines of the southern Barossa, all contributing to the style and character. Crafted to the same standards and painstaking vinification techniques as the flagship Irvine Grand Merlot, flavour ripeness is critical, crush and fermentation systems are closely managed. The finished wine is matured in older casks with less obvious French Allier oak, with a touch of aromatic spiciness on the bouquet.

Purple red colour. Coffee bean, green olive over plum and dark chocolate bouquet. Rounded palate, big, soft tannins with magnificent fruit in the middle. All the style to evolve beautifully, a flowing plummy bouquet with red cherry, plum and ripe raspberry flavours. The Barossa Valley Merlot contributes length, weight and complexity while the cool climate Eden Valley portion has given elegance and style. Irvine recommend decanting at least one hour prior to serving.

After more than twenty years of research and development amongst the vines at Springhill in Valley Eden, conducted in concert with adjustments and fine tuning to the vinification techniques, Irvine have achieved a distinctive style, one of the finest examples of pure Merlot wines in the world. In May 1997 Irvine was judged World's Best in Switzerland against legends Chateau Petrus, Italy's Antinori and America's Mondavi. In 2006 Irvine Grand Merlot was named Best New World Red Wine at the prestigious Mundus Vini competition in Germany.

$11799each $1415DOZEN EACH DOZEN From grapes grown to shallow podzolic loam over gravel on the very well drained estate Springhill property. The trellised vines are based on the two wire vertical system, some of the fruit is machine harvested and some is hand picked. Late in the season when the days are very short, baumes reach 15°. The picking takes place around midday to avoid any possibility of dew pick-up and to ensure the crushed grapes are warm to start ferments quickly. The vinification process is closely monitored, adhering to the exacting personal standards of Mr Irvine. Bottled after two years in French Allier oak, it takes a very different approach to create a wine that's ready to drink in six years of age rather than two or three.

Bright scarlet colour. Plummy bouquet with red cherry characters, the characteristic Allier oak spice over green olives, raspberries and light chocolate oak. Medium bodied with lovely sweet smoky fruit over cedary oak, lengthy abundant tannins, richness and velvety softness to the finish. The ripeness shows in the lifted fruit, contributing to the overall complexity. The palate displays a firmness that will serve Grand Irvine well as it continues to evolve.

For quite some time, Jim Irvine pondered whether it would be practicable to make a splendid Merlot wine available at an entry pricepoint. It came down to the wine industry press to convince Irvine that the timing was right to release a Merlot which showed what the flagship Irvine estate wines were really all about. Springhill is made from grapes which are ripened longer than usual, accentuating depth of flavour, while adding more fruit. All this brings about the excellent, soft but full bodied texture and mouthfeel, advancing an argument for the hegemony of Merlot.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN Springhill Vineyard has its own terroir, acid soils and mostly gravels, where the fruit can ripen late through cooler autumn temperatures. The good natural rainfall, the high level drainage and the tough growing conditions all come together to give this terroir it's unique personality. Around a backbone of Springhill Merlot, Irvine have assembled parcels from the Eden and Barossa Valleys, to create a wine that's generous with velvet opulence and plum cherry richness. A year's maturation in fine French oak, infuses the palate with warm complexity, while mellowing the wine into a seamless expression of Eden Valley Merlot.

Dark red purple colour. Springhill shows distinctive varietal characters on the nose and big flavours to the palate. Pronounced spice, a level of bay leaf, olives and thyme, wrapped around a core of dark red fruit, plums, turkish delights and chocolate tannins, supported by cocoa vanilla oak and unassuming, passive acid. As a rule, Irvine Merlots are released at least a year older than, the extra time in oak really does work wonders.

$4499each $539DOZEN EACH DOZEN

John Riddoch established the seminal Coonawarra Fruit Colony at his property on the orginal Katnook estate in 1890, founding one of the world's great winegrowing districts. The Merlot for today's Founder's Block is sourced from vines grown on sites right around the original property, to slightly more recent plantings. An attractive medium bodied wine with an enticing nose of currants plum and red plum, eloquent aromas with earthy, savoury notes, gentle oak and supple tannins. A plush, well rounded palate, just what you want from good Merlot.

$2099each $251DOZEN EACH DOZEN Katnook Founder's Block are named after the original land holding of John Riddoch, founder of the Coonawarra. Fruit is collated from choice Merlot vineyards. The idyllic growing conditions which surround Coonawarra's terra rosa soils translate into full bodied, refreshing red wines of vigour and deep varietal complexion. Charged with the aim of retaining the clear regional characters, the Katnook team endeavours to vinify the grapes as plainly as possible, allowing the rich Merlot fruit to speak for itself. Treated to a minimum exposure under oak, one component is filled to a selection of French and American barriques for a term, contributing subtle complexity.

Plum red, garnet hues. Hints of dark plum fruit, an earthy richness combined with subtle sweet oak with a light char note. Smoothness and subtle richness are a feature of the palate. Generous fruit flavours of dark berries and ripe plums with a hint of spice are combined with gentle, sweet chary oak. Soft fine grained tannins complement the lingering fruit flavours. A superb red wine for all occasions.