Irrewarra vineyard was established to the eastern environs of Lake Colac by the Calvert family in 2001, predominantly six acres of a mixture Pinot Noir clones on own rootstock. A magical place defined by an eloquent expression of terroir, its long, fruitful growing season extends to mid April, as the closely packed bunches of Pinot Noir ripen fully into juicy treasure chests of flavour, adroitly lined by the finest, satin sheen tannins. Its bucolic splendour of animate pasteurs, wild cherries and sun dried spice, resonate long and lovely on an elegantly structured, texturally mineral palate.

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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.

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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.

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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.

James Irvine is a name well known in the Australian wine industry, he worked for the most distinguished brands and his antecedents established Great Western. Irvine first became enthused by the exquisite quality of Eden Valley fruit when he was a buyer for Thomas Hardy & Sons. His inspiration brought him to a superlative parcel of Zinfandel vine, a place of challenging aspects and slow ripening climes. Distinctive for its dark olive palate and black cherry nose, a well structured Zinfandel in fully animate styling, rounded and balanced with a lithely spiced finish.

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