The Lynn family have been Coonawarra locals for generations, the Majella property has long been in family hands. Acquired by George and Pat Lynn in 1960, ostensibly for grazing, it was ultimately established as vineyards in 1968. The House Block was sown to vines in 1971, it remains the source of Majella's most superior single parcel of Cabernet Sauvignon. Treated to a rich course of barrel ferments and extravagance of twenty months maturation in the luxury of new French oak, the countenance of Coonawarra excellence, a mere 200 dozen were made.

$12899each $1547DOZEN EACH DOZEN Majella have received overwhelming international approbation for the superlative quality of their Coonawarra Cabernet from inaugural vintage. The artful winemaking team have dedicated the precious harvest of an elite, single block of distinguished old plantings, to a pure, limited edition bottling, contracting cooperages of the finest French oak barrels. The pick of fruit, hand selected off the most elite copse of Majella vine, are sorted and softly crushed, prepared for a gentle vinification and transferred into new French oak hogsheads for completion of ferments. The wine is then matured twenty months in same barrels, before bottling in the distinctive imported Italian bottles.

Mallea is the Majella estate flagship, only ever produced from the choicest parcels of fruit, picked off the finest blocks of vine, only when growing conditions are perfect for the construct of a superior Cabernet Shiraz. Majella was never planned as a label in it's own right, originally planted to vineyards with the intention of supplying grapes to established wineries. The growers however, always made a bit of wine from their best grapes and knew that the quality was very good. A rare indulgement, fermented and aged in exclusively new French oak.

$8399each $1007DOZEN EACH DOZEN Majella reserve the most outstanding Coonawarra Cabernet and Shiraz for Malleea. After prompting by many of their industry peers, the stakeholders at Majella made a few hundred cases of Shiraz in 1991 for bottling under the estate label. The wine was vintaged at Brand's Laira under the ever watchful eye of maestro Bruce Gregory. It was received exceptionally well and led to a stellar inaugural release of Cabernet in 1994. In the most outstanding vintages, Majella assemble the finest parcels of fruit from their oldest vines and treat them to a gentle vinification before completing ferments in new French oak hogsheads. Components are matured eighteen months, followed by bottling in imported fine Italian glass.

A rich, dark magenta colour. Aromas of black and red berries, bay leaf and plums, vanillin and spiced oak. The palate is like a complex fruit cake, offering layers of fresh berries, black olives and dark chocolate notes. Fine dusty tannins and ripe berry fruit flavours linger on the lengthy finish.

Majella are one of the most highly awarded small wineries in Australia, the inaugural release of The Musician was met with unprecedented critical acclaim. In the tradition of the most salubrious Coonawarra vineyards, the Majella property was used extensively for grazing before being planted to vine. The enduring Australian accord of Cabernet and Shiraz, previous vintages of Musician have claimed a breathtaking list of gold medals and conspicuous trophies within a very short succession of vintages.

$2099each $251DOZEN EACH DOZEN Years of grazing on the Majella property enriched the soils and prepared the ground for viticulture. The Majella team still run a few thousand Merino wethers and raise a few hundred prime lambs. Re established as a vineyard in 1968, Majella sold their first tonnage of fruit to Wynn's Coonawarra Estate in 1980. Since then, the Majella vineyards have been the source of the most highly prized Coonawarra grapes for many well regarded national brands. The very best of Majella's fruit, the pick of crop, is retained for the estate's own label. A slightly greater proportion of Cabernet to Shiraz, The Musician is a generously complex Coonawarra wine that's approachable and engaging immediately upon release.

Deep scarlet in colour. Vibrant, unmistakably Coonawarra to smell and taste, bursting with flavours of blackcurrant, mulberry and herbs, fine, elegant and juicy in the mouth. Musician is quite low in oak, just a smidge of vanillin showing faintly on the mid palate, the brambly, blackcurrant flavours demand all the attention. Fine silky tannins integrate with the fruit and minimal oak treatment to produce an approachable well rounded wine of extended length.

Metala was the first ever to win Jimmy Watson Trophy, a significant accolade in the world of wine. Fruit for the White Label is sourced from splendid Langhorne Creek vines which can trace a heritage back to the original plantings of 1891. In its day, originally crafted by the current winemaker's forebears, the century old block at Metala Creek still contributes grapes. An Australian classic, internationally lauded and perennially feted, Metala is brimming with mouthfilling berry flavours, seasoned by regional eucalpt and mint, lined with a fine touch of supple oak.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN Metala stands as a beacon amongst the great vineyards of Langhorne Creek. A mostly Shiraz mix with a third of Cabernet Sauvignon, the famous Metala label stands as an icon of the Australian wine industry, still crafted by the same geneology, mostly from the same old vines. After careful harvesting to achieve perfect ripeness, fruit is crushed into traditional open fermenters and macerated for optimal extraction of flavour, colour and tannins. Upon completion of ferments, Metala is pressed and racked before being transferred into a selection of French and American and French oak barrels for extended maturation. A careful assessment of each barrel is carried out, the finest are assembled into the finished wine.

Dense, dark brooding colour. An enticing nose of sweet herbs, ruby red berries, ground black pepper and mint. Intense plum, cherry and blackcurrant fruit scents are supported by hints of eucalyptus and licorice which characterize Langhorne Creek. On the palate, Metala is full bodied and rich with wonderful, dense blackberry fruit coupled by substantial but tender tannins. The Langhorne Creek Shiraz Cabernet of choice to accompany grills, stir frys and lasagna.

The pick of crop from the Gateway and Rivers Lane vineyards in McLaren Vale, barrel fermented and matured in the luxury of mostly new French and American oak. The most superior estate parcel of Cabernet, over a backbone of Carnival of Love Shiraz. Inky, dense hues. Fragrant bright red fruit nose, blackberries and plum jam. Well guided by precise tannins, the captivating interplay between Cabernet and Shiraz offers a sophisticated mix of plum and mocha, beside raspberries and clove, complexity and elegance before a well balanced finish.

$7399each $887DOZEN EACH DOZEN

$9499each $1139DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Graeme's Blend is the Passing Cloud flagship. Eponymously labelled after the proprietor winemaker, Graeme's Blend has consistently delivered a cornucopia of breathtaking Bendigo fruit every year since inaugural vintage 1980. The unirrigated Passing Clouds property produces meagre yields these days and grapes are called upon from outstanding vineyards between Bendigo and Heathcote. Parcels of Cabernet and Shiraz grown to eminent Bendigo sites are assembled around the backbone of estate grown fruit to create a complex, more powerful wine.

$3099each $371DOZEN EACH DOZEN Passing Clouds is a small hands on operation employing traditional techniques. The story began in 1973 when Graeme Leith and Sue Mackinnon decided that they wanted to brave the elements, face the challenges of the land and pursue the holy grail of making the best wine in the world. Sheltered by hills of ironbark forest, the Passing Clouds valley offers an ideal mesoclime for red varietals. Low rainfall and deep, well drained soils produce small harvests of intensely flavoured fruit. Cabernet and Shiraz grapes are hand picked and vinified in open fermenters, hand plunged, treated to malolactic and matured in a selection of seasoned and new, French and American oak hogsheads and barriques for a year. Alcohol 14.0%

Dark Japanese plum colour, an indication of its power. Complex aromas of dark fruits are interwoven by vanilla , aniseed and spice. Rich complex aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and spice follow through onto the palate, lined by a veneer of gentle oak. A superb balance of tannin and acidity complemented by lingering fruit, beautifully balanced on a length of fine chalky tannins.

$2299each $275DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Originally released in 1976, the Koonunga Hill range has established a sound reputation for quality and consistency, while availing red wine enthusiasts of the opportunity to approach the enduring Penfolds style. The inaugural 1976 vintage of Koonunga Hill Shiraz Cabernet was a legendary wine, still drinking well at Penfolds red wine recorking clinics. Reissued under the Seventy Six moniker, it has attracted a tremendous amount of critical acclaim, twice recipient of the highly prestigious Wine Press Club Trophy for Best Dry Red Wine.

$2599each $311DOZEN EACH DOZEN A mostly Shiraz wine with a vital component of good Cabernet, assembled from harvests grown to choice Penfold vineyards, owned and operated by the most dedicated growers. Penfolds have had greater experience with Cabernet Sauvignon than any other Australian winemaker, the development of Cabernet vineyards in Australia is due in no small part to their efforts. Vines are trained and pruned throughout the growing season, allowing optimum ripening conditions for maximum flavour, fine tannin structure and balanced acidity. Fruit is treated to a temperature controlled fermentation and full malolactic, followed by fifteen months in a selection of seasoned and new American oak hogsheads.

Deep, darkly coloured core, purple robes. Brooding dark fruit nose, stylish oak with elements of char. Mocha, dark chocolate, liquorice, aniseed and black olives gives way to more savoury notes of demi-glace and lamb. A rounded, balanced palate with generous plush fruits. Texturally appealing, excellent grip and fine, pronounced tannins in support of red berry and cranberry fruits. Ideal with beef, lamb and Mediterranean recipes.

For over half a century, Bin 389 has developed a strong identity for its consistency, reliability and value. Penfolds Bin 389 Cabernet Shiraz has earned a reputation among wine consumers and collectors as an Australian classic. With all its ripe fruit, richness and generosity, the wine has been much loved over several generations of wine drinkers, 389 is delicious to drink, immediately upon release. This great and famous wine over delivers on quality, the enduring Aussie accord of Cabernet and Shiraz, it's a very new world style of wine of the highest peerage.

$10499each $1259DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bin 389 epitomizes the Penfolds winemaking philosophy, vis a vis the artisanal craft of multi vineyard assemblage. Whilst the individual regional characters are completely integrated, it is ultimately the personality and structure of the fruit that really matters. Bin 389 is crafted to traditional methodolgies, Cabermet and Shiraz are vinified in headed down fermenters, some batches complete ferments in barrel to enhance the complexity, richness and integration of fresh new oak. Components are then matured in a high proportion of completely new American oak hogsheads for a year, many of the older seasoned barrels having conspicuously aged the previous vintage of Grange.

Dense deep red colour. Brimming with mochancoffee ground aromatics, heightened by black notes, appealing char and creamy, vanillin oak in the background. A flurry of fruits, spice and varietal markers abound. Voluminous and powerful, a sensory stratification of layers, unravelling flavours, festive pudding with roasted nuts, lamb and black olive, sarsaparilla spice. Tannins awashed, oak absorbed, fruit awakened.

Considered an undistinguished vintage, it won a trophy, five Gold, four Silver and six Bronze medals between 1974 and 1982.

$319999each $38399DOZEN EACH DOZEN I'd like to think that the wines with which I have been associated are descended from one ancestral vineyard established many years ago, marrying with another, and another, thus creating and establishing a dynasty of wines

Medium deep brick red. Grange displays fully-ripe and intensely-flavoured Shiraz and some Cabernet grapes in combination with new American oak. Mushroom, orange marmalade aromas. Characters of prunes and citrus fruits, some meaty demi-glaze flavours, and tannins dominate the palate, a unique style recognised as one of the most consistent of the world's great wines. Winemaker comments by Max Schubert: Medium brick red. Chamomile, citrus peel and chocolate/berry aromas with a touches of soft leather. Very big and mouthfilling with sweet, stocky fruit and notes of tar, leather and nutmeg. Firm, gripping tannins and long finish. More structured style but still has a very good core of fruit sweetness.

A very great Grange, the mild and relatively dry growing season lead to a very successful vintage. This was the final release crafted by Max Schubert's successor Don Ditter.

$229999each $27599DOZEN EACH DOZEN Don Ditter, an early graduate of Roseworthy Agricultural College who joined Penfolds as a laboratory assistant in 1946, was appointed by Max Schubert as his successor in 1973. A time of considerable technical advances in winemaking the 1976, and the very great 1986 Grange, Don Ditter's last vintage before retirement, epitomize this remarkable period. 87% Shiraz, 13% Cabernet Sauvignon sourced from the Kalimna and other Barossa vineyards, Clare Valley, McLaren Vale and Modbury near Adelaide. Matured in new American oak hogsheads for twenty months. Alcohol 13.90% Acidity 7.10g/L pH 3.41

Winemaker Comments John Duval: Intensely concentrated and focused coffee and vanilla aromas from oak maturation, perfectly ripened berry fruit. Slightly smoky from barrel fermentation. Richly textured with smoky, dark berry, chocolate and liquorice flavours. A harmonious whole, combines power, structure and concentration.