Charlie Melton was one of the first to appreciate the overlooked value in Barossa's old vineyard Grenache, Shiraz and Mourvedre. At a time when others were pulling out such vineyards to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic plantings. He was one of a small group of winemakers who helped retain the viticultural heritage of Barossa Valley. A soft, plump palate of traditional Barossa ripeness and plummy, festive cake spice, currants and dark fruit, a finish of luscious, rounded tannins underpinning soily Barossa goodness.

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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.

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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.

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What's Barossa Rosé without a vital inclusion of old vines Grenache? Charlie Melton prunes his old vines harder so that they produce lower yields, concentrating more of the vigor into fewer berries. The bright effusiveness of a lusciously ripe harvest is assembled with barrels of aged Grenache wines for a remarkably complex, blush hued Cuvée. Evocative and engaging, richer than most any other Rosé, her heady perfumes of rhubarb and ripe strawberry, cherry blossoms and turkish delight, precede a delightfully complex palate of jellied fruit, plum pastels and pretty, purple cassis.

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Described by the London Observer as Australia's finest pink wine, Rose of Virginia is distinctively perfumed thanks to the inclusion of a choice Grenache component, followed by the brooding characters of noble red grapes. At a time when growers were pulling out their vines to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic parcels of Grenache. Just ever so slightly away from the cloying, rich styles, Rose of Virginia is crisp and balanced to match the wide range of cuisines which have been her partners.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN The limited production of the Charles Melton vineyards yield small berries of intense colour and flavour. Picking slightly early helps retain the natural acidity to give some zest and crispness on the palate. Grenache, the key component, is treated slightly more kindly by nature but still only delivers minimal harvests. Rose of Virginia employs a number of key techniques. Cofermentation of the varietals achieves lovely pink colour, a variation in skin contacts arrives at just the right combination of colour and tannin. several weeks of slow, cool fermentation is arrested when just a few grams of natural grape sugar remain, to soften rather than sweeten, bottled immediately to retain youth and enticing flavours.

Lovely vibrant crimson/ magenta hue, real depth of colour. Delicious young Grenche lift with a little touch of sweet mazipan that seems unique, a little pepper and spice. Fragrant turkish delight flavours, a light touch to the palate with just the right amount of acidity and flesh. Crisp and fresh avoiding any heaviness, just a nice quaffable weight.

A mostly Shiraz Cuvee sourced from six of the Melton's best dry grown, old vine blocks. Charlie was one of the first to recognize the value and tradition of the Barossa's old vineyard Shiraz, Cabernet and Grenache. At a time when others were pulling out some wonderful old rootstock to plant more fashionable varieties, Charlie was convincing farmers to keep their historic vineyards. He belongs to a small group of dedicated vignerons who fought to retain the viticultural heritage of Barossa Valley. Two years in oak, followed by liqueur dosage tirage and a further four years on lees.

$7999each $959DOZEN EACH DOZEN The fruit is mostly hand harvested at healthy levels of ripe, natural sugar baume range to give richness with a degree of freshness and acidity for the base wine. Grapes are fully destemmed through the crusher into fermenters, for vinification on skins at moderate temperatures for several days, treated to a regimen of pumpovers twice daily. At close to dryness, batches are drained, pressed and returned to the free run. Components are filled to a selection of predominantly French Never and Vosges or American oak barriques for a year on gross sediments. The wine is then tiraged and left on lees for twenty months before degorgement and expedition liqueur.

Deep dark, cherry purple. An elegant, complex bouquet, rich spicy, multi dimensional redolence, mintyness, dark currants and festive pudding fruits. A complex, aromatically opulent cornucopia of flavour, bushels of fruit and classic autolysis within a glorious effervescence of the finest bubble. The wonders of liquering dosage and bottle age, modulating the degree of sweetness, in the tradition of the memorable Great Westerns which evolved for decades.

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.

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The site which was destined to become South Australia's first winemaking estate was planted to vines just south of the Onkaparinga River, at the northwest corner of Panalatinga and Reynell Roads. Within ten years, John Reynell became the first to export South Australian red wine. His business grew, as Chateau Reynella won over palates throughout the Empire. As his operations flourished and local businesses started up, more workers were attracted to the area and settled down, the beginnings of McLaren Vale. Significantly, one of Reynell's star employees was Thomas Hardy of Hardy Wines.

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