The High Trellis paddock has been yielding the most splendid vintages of wine since the late 19th century, so nicknamed as the vines were the first to be trained above knee height following acquisition of the property by dArenberg. For decades, High Trellis Cabernet Sauvignon has been released to unanimous critical acclaim by the wine industry press and international cognoscente. Indeed, the inaugural 1968 vintage earned a place in history when it claimed Australia's most prestigious accolade, the highly coveted Jimmy Watson Trophy.

$2199each $263DOZEN EACH DOZEN Small batches are crushed in the Demoisy open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher and transferred to five tonne headed down open fermenters, parcels are vinified separately. Foot treading is undertaken followed by gentle basket pressing. Transferred to a mixture of oak casks to complete primary and secondary fermentation. The barrel fermented component is aged on lees for added complexity with no racking until final blending. Chester and the winemaking team undertake an extensive barrel tasting process to determine the final assemblage. High Trellis is unexposed to fining or filtration, aged up to twenty months in a combination of new and older French and American oak barriques and large casks.

Deep, bright red. Lifted nose, fresh and full of violets, blackcurrant and leafy notes, oak supplies a touch of cedar, adding complexity to the soulful earthiness. The palate is textured and lithe, coated by lacy tannins around a core of cassis, licorice and plum fruit mixed with earth and graphite before a mineral tail. It's well weighted, fresh and balanced, inviting now, like all d'Arenberg wines, decanting will help show its best.

d'Arenberg's love affair with Grenache reaches its pinnacle with Ironstone Pressings. The original block planted in 1918, on the lower side of the winery, has a plentiful amount of ironstone throughout the soil structures, which enhances the body and tannin structure of the wine. As the finished wine is a cepage of three grapes it is a matter of selecting and screening the very best Grenache barrels. They complement the Dead Arm Shiraz component which likewise complements the 28 Rd Mourvedre portion to a point where the Grenache is beautifully framed.

$7299each $875DOZEN EACH DOZEN Most of McLaren Vale's soils are impregnated with ancient, decomposed laterite granite known as ironstone. The larger pieces were cleared from vineyards in the late 1880s and utilized in many of the buildings at d'Arenberg. Small batches of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourverdre are separately passed through a rubber toothed crusher into open fermenters. Some parcels are tread by foot two thirds of the way through. When tannin extraction is just right, the wines are basket pressed into oak for the completion of ferments and malolactic. Components are matured on lees in a combination of seasoned and new French oak barriques before assembling into the final wine.

Brilliant, gleaming red. Dark fruits, mulberr and plum nose, fresh soil and peat over an underlying lick of exotic Indian spice. An abundance of fresh fruits on the palate marry well with the more complex characters of cinnamon and quince, nutmeg, star anise and earthy beetroot. Open and generous upon release, lively acidity and the abundance of fine gritty tannins. Unfiltered and unfined, a harmless deposit may form in the bottle.

The vineyards and bushland which surround d'Arenberg winery are home to the native black and white kookaburra, famous for its distinctive laughing call. Much to the amusement of the winemaker's family, Chester Osborn's daughters, Alicia and Ruby, named their two wild pet kookaburras the laughing magpies. A good branding for McLaren Vale's first ever combination of the black Shiraz grape with the sweetly perfumed white Viognier. Declassified parcels of the icon Dead Arm Shiraz are assembled into the final Magpie mix.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN Very concentrated ripe bunches of Shiraz and Viognier are gently crushed into the patented Demoisy open mouthed, rubber toothed crusher, then co-fermented together in good old fashioned headed down open fermenters, where they are treated to a traditional foot treading by wader clad feet. After a fortnight the musts are gently basket pressed through an ancient 19th Century Coq & Bromley and Tregoning press, followed by a transfer to a selection of French and American oak barriques for completion of ferments and maturation. Offcuts of Dead Arm Shiraz are selected from oak and included into the assemblage to balance the level of Viognier in the final Magpie.

Very dark crimson hue. Intense aromas, a floral mix of peach stone, jasmine and cranberry over dark maraschino cherries, star anise and spiced fruit cake. The palate is fully flavoured with ripe juicy soft mouthfilling flavours suggesting beetroot juice, blueberries, blackcurrant and red cherries with herbaceous edges that keep the palate in check. Oak is showing lovely cedary notes which compliment the fragrant, silky mineral tannins.

Chester Osborn was one of the first growers to plant Tempranillo in McLaren Vale. This torrid Spanish grape is well suited to the Mediterranean climes of the region and a traditional blending partner for some of d'Arenberg's favourite old world styles. Grenache and Tempranillo work beautifully together, the Portuguese mix of Tinta Cao and Souzao provide wonderful complexity and depth. And the quirky name? Sticks and stones may break bones but will never hurt, in truth, much of the fruit is picked off sticks planted to parched, stony soils.

$3099each $371DOZEN EACH DOZEN Bunches of Tempranillo and Grenache, Souzao and Tinta Cao Souzao are picked to a staggered schedule as the varieties come into their own ripening. Fruit is gently treated to d'Arenberg's rubber toothed crusher, vinified batch by batch in traditional headed down open fermenters. When tannin extraction is just right, batches are basket pressed and transferred to a mix of seasoned and new French and American oak barriques for completion of ferments and malolactic on sedimentery yeast lees. Components are aged for a year before asemblage, minimal handling ensures maximum flavour while reducing the oak influence, unfined and unfiltered, a harmless deposit may adhere to the bottle.

Deep, brilliant red. An enticing mix of red, black and purple fruits, wild strawberries and dark cherry, grilled meats and straw notes. Sour plum and red berry flavours, quickly leading to game, five spice and dried herb, Tempranillo provides tomato leaf and baked red fruits, linear shape and length. Grenache lends juicy blueberry and plum with just a hint of clove, succulence and fine, gritty tannins.

A co ferment of Shiraz with a judicious soupçon of Rousanne, foot treaded in the good old fashioned way and sent to a selection of pre loved French and American oaks for a timely term of age. Its dark, savoury Shiraz perfumes are matched by cocoa and blackberries, cedar and spice, a palate of roast meats and tarry reductions, well supported by a length of juicy graphite tannins. An understatedly sophisticated style of Shiraz with a dose of je ne sais quoi that's sure to seduce the most learned and discerning of palates.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN

A superb construct of Yarra Valley Cabernet Sauvignon, crafted from three estate parcels of fully mature, low yielding vines, planted 1987 to 1991 at Dixon's Creek. A highly regional expression of Cabernet, exhibiting profound varietal definition, bursting with dark bramble berry flavours, seasoned by a dusting of cedar and garnish of bushvine leaf. The Victorian of choice to accompany dry aged sirloin with grilled marrow, truffled mash and morelles.

$2599each $311DOZEN EACH DOZEN Vines are all cane pruned to twenty five bunches per vine, further shoot thinned at the 10cm to 15cm stage to eighteen bunches per vine. The hand picked berries are placed in 8kg buckets and transported promptly to the De Bortoli wineworks. Bunches are destemmed, crushed and tipped into fourteen tonnes fermenters. Upon completion of ferments, batches are kept at a minimum of 25C and left on skins for two to three weeks. Batches are pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to a selection of oak casks for a year's maturation at 16C. Components are then racked and gently aerated every three to four months throughout the course of age.

Deep vibrant red with purple hues. Complex aromas with tobacco and macerated pommace like fruit. Aromas of blueberry and bramble with underlying clove and leather characters. A fine, detailed, full bodied wine, plump and flavoursome with blackcurrant and spicy oak flavours, meaty mid-palate fruit flavours, fine grained tannins, structure, balance and excellent length of flavour.

From the prestigious Dixon's Creek vineyards in Yarra Valley, hand crafted by the most innovative and progressive Pinot protagonist in Australia. Pinot Noir can be tricky to grow and to make into wine, De Bortoli take the greatest effort at developing deep flavours within the grapes as they ripen, while remaining in pursuit of judicious alcohol and congenial tannins. A richly textured, elegantly structured Pinot Noir, fashioned from elite vineyard parcels, a solid, Burgundy styled accord of savoury red fruit pectin, mineral and lithe spice.

$2599each $311DOZEN EACH DOZEN De Bortoli have spared no expense at husbanding the finest Pinot Noir vineyards in Yarra Valley, they retain the best sites and have produced the finest vintages for decades. Fruit is hand picked off the choicest estate blocks, holistically managed to the most exacting environmentally sustainable standards. All grapes and a small amount of whole bunches, are individually examined over a sorting table, before being tipped into traditional open top fermenters, for three weeks of maceration and vinification through the action of wild indigenous yeasts. Batches are pressed and settled overnight, followed by gravity fill into a selection of 225L French oak casks for eight months maturation at a salutary 16C.

Vibrant red with garnet hues. Elegant Pinot fruit bouquet, red currants, cherry and raspberry over subtle spice and forest floor. Medium bodied, building weight across the palate, richly textured, long and fine, supported by firm yet gentle tannins. A treat alongside European inspired recipes and all things duck.

From the illustrious De Bortoli property at Dixon's Creek, established almost four decades ago on the cooler, elevated climes of Yarra Valley. The natural endowments of the land and consequence of closely hand managed vines, achieves a bounty of the most exquisite Shiraz, treated to a combination of old world vinification techniques, whole bunch inclusions and boot treading, aged in well seasoned, large format oak. A generously layered wine that builds and builds on the palate, Aussie Shiraz of the most articulate bucolic charm and refined pastoral grace.

$2599each $311DOZEN EACH DOZEN The viticultural team take aim at harvests of Shiraz, showing excellent ripeness, fine tannins and an abundance of flavour. Grapes are hand picked and hand sorted over a triage table. A combination of whole bunch and whole berries are tipped into open fermenters and treated to a course of foot plunging, followed by rack and returns and more foot plunging toward the end of vinication. Batches are treated to three weeks of maceration and ferment through the action of wild indigenous yeasts. Components are pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to a selection of 500 litre and 2300 litre oak casks for a year's maturation at optimal temperatures of 16C.

Garnet red colour. Brightly lit, detailed and perfumed bouquet, graphite and mineral notes. Medium bodied and dry, a finely aromatic, plump palate, seasoned by white pepper notes and exhibiting whole bunch ferment characters, supported by a length of grainy tannins and mere veneer of cedar oak. A match to spicy, country style pork bangers and root vegetable mash, drizzled with truffle oil.

Stephen Shelmerdine never applies any pressure on his Pinot vines to perform. Handling fruit and wine by gravity, knowing when not to interfere, indigenous yeasts and a subdued use of oak, all help to render the style. The challenge is to preserve aromas and to let the palate form by itself. A pure, small batch Pinot wine, elegance and finesse are the defining characters, matched by fine texture and good structure. The result is subtlety over sunshine, terroir over intervention and delicacy over extraction, fashioned to be beautiful to drink.

$4999each $599DOZEN EACH DOZEN Lusatia Park Block B is one of the more aromatic Pinot Noir sites in upper Yarra Valley. Pinot clone MV6 vines are cane pruned to twenty five buds and shoot thinned at the 10cm or 15cm stage to yield eighteen 80gm bunches each. All grapes are hand harvested, hand sorted and destemmed into six tonnes open fermenters, a portion of whole bunches are included. Natural vinification ensues as the cap recieves an occasional plunge toward the end of ferments. After two or three weeks on skins, batches are pressed, settled overnight and gravity filled to French oak casks for up to a year's maturation. Barrels are racked once again and filled to bottle without fining or filtration.

Full ruby colour. Intense Pinot nose with purity and fragrance, alluring wild red fruit aromatics. Complex varietal characters coalesce on a palate of superb concentration, a Pinot palate of texture, plumpness and softness. Elegant, minerally and fine, a finish of extended fruit, lingering silky tannins and the piquant sweetness of freshly pitted cherry.

A detailed and defined, old world style of Syrah, eloquently perfumed and decidedly delicious, crafted from hand picked fruit grown to the original 1971 plantings at Dixons Creek in Yarra Valley. A striking wine of focus, excellence and concentration, articulating the opulence of a world class Shiraz. Meticulous hand sorting at harvest ensures that only grapes of the silkiest tannins and most refined fruit characters are included. A profound red wine to match with the finest gourmandise, red wine garlic braise or ripe Taleggio.

$4999each $599DOZEN EACH DOZEN Vines at Section A8 of Dixons Creek are strategically planted in a north to south row orientation. All grapes are hand picked throughout the cool of morning into 8kg buckets and transported to the estate wineworks. Fruit is hand sorted as a combination of whole bunches and whole berries are gravity tipped into open fermenters. Fruit is vinified through the action of wild indigenous yeasts, while treated to a regimen of foot plunging and hand remontage to gently extract colour and flavour. After three weeks of maceration and ferment, musts are pressed and settled before gravity filling to a combination of 500L oak puncheons and larger format 2300L casks for malolactic and a year's maturation.

Medium garnet red colour. Fragrant and aromatic, brightly detailed, perfumed characters, wild strawberries and graphite, minerals and cherry spice. A fine, plump and structured palate, brimming with dark berry flavours, smokeyness and pepper spice, supported by a whisper of seasoned oak and textural, grainy tannins. The Syrah of choice to accompany piquant fennel pork sausages with lentils and maghrebi spice.

Nebbiolo makes the most magnificent wines, complex and engaging, bold of tannin, effusive and eloquent, full of charm. De Bortoli have established a closely husbanded parcel of vine on a section of Dixons Creek vineyard, which emulates the fortuitous confluence of microclimes of Nebbiolo's spiritual home in Piedmont. Grapes are all hand picked and sorted into small open fermenters for three weeks of maceration, followed by fourteen months in 500 litres French oak butts. Brightly lit with graphite, mineral and spice, textural tannins in support of its plump, savoury fruits palate.

$2999each $359DOZEN EACH DOZEN

$2999each $359DOZEN EACH DOZEN