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GEELONG |
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January Release |
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Pinot Noir |
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| The Pinot Noir grape variety has proved to be a challenge that has defeated some of our finest winemaking talent. Others have produced the miracle vintage, never to be repeated. Only one Winemaker has produced a superior wine each year for the last decade, and his name is Gary Farr. This wine continues this regal dynasty, as Gary refines his winemaking techniques and extracts every nuance of flavor balanced with structure, to make a Pinot Noir that is both delicate but with the capacity for bottle aging...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Italian Varietals |
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| It seems only logical given the warm Australian climate that our Winemakers would experiment with Italian grape varieties. It has been quite a long time coming, however, the wait is worthwhile. Garry Crittenden has been a pioneer with his "I" range and now Neil Pike has released this supreme Sangiovese. Neil is justifiably very happy with this wine...... |
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AUBURN, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Jeffrey Grossett picks a small crop from his Gaia vineyard, which located on a hillside far above the rest of the Clare Valley, making it quite possibly, the coolest site in the whole region. The vineyard is highly exposed to the elements and set on a bed of slate. Yields are therefore low but the quality of the resultant fruit is sensational...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| This wine continues the trend established over the last few years. Four varieties have been used to create this seamless "Bordeaux Blend", with Cabernet Franc forming the largest proportion in the blend, followed by Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Malbec. Too many wines in Australia have been produced as totally made from Cabernet Sauvignon and the grape varieties typically blended with it have been forced into a minor role. This wine leads the way as being of the highest quality in the Bordeaux style yet it relies on the combination of the varieties and how they work together rather than isolated varietal characteristics...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| This is a remarkably consistent wine, with all the generosity of fruit that the Barossa Valley is famous for. 1996 is exceptional too, and the team at Elderton have capitalised on their good fortune with the weather...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| Neil Pike has long been a master of the precious Riesling in the Clare Valley. In recent years he has concentrated on refining his reds, being very successful at taking them up to another level. It is no coincidence that the area as a whole is now being recognised as one of the finest producers of full bodied red wine in Australia. First the Shiraz variety was conquered and now it is the Cabernet Sauvignon and its associated varieties of Merlot and Cabernet Franc. This is clearly his finest example of this style to date...... |
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GEELONG |
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| Gary Farr has for many years been regarded as Australia’s great Burgundy variety producer with both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir regularly acclaimed as the finest in the country. With the 1992 vintage Gary made a significant change in the way he makes his Shiraz, and with the success of each successive vintage his Shiraz is also regarded in the same lofty heights...... |
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LOWER HUNTER VALLEY |
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| Whilst very fond of the Hunter Valley as a superior area to grow Shiraz grapes, Iain Riggs, Winemaker and General Manager of Brokenwood, has for many years searched the country for other regions that produce fruit to complement that from his own vineyards. Great Hunter Valley Shiraz really needs several years before it peaks as a drinking proposition and this is not what the majority of the wine drinking public want to do, cellar the wine for at least ten years. Brokenwood still produce such a wine from a single vineyard called "Graveyard"...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| This is the finest Shiraz Roman Bratasiuk has produced, apart from remarkable "Astralis" line. The best qualities of the previous two vintages are combined in this stunning wine...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| After the 1994 and 1995 releases of this amazing wine what can Roman Bratasiuk conjure up this year? Well do not fear, this wine is just as good if not better...... |
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SUNBURY |
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| Pat Carmody, at Craiglee, is about as modest as a Winemaker gets, but even Pat will sing the praises of this vintage of Shiraz...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| Many consider the Barossa Valley to be the home of Shiraz in Australia and as long as Elderton continue to produce fine examples such as this 1996 release you will get very few arguments...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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| Without any doubt this is the finest release of "Isolation Ridge" to date. Until now the Bordeaux variety blend "Olmo’s Reward" would have been regarded as Frankland’s flagship red wine but now here is a serious challenger. The vineyards are really starting to mature now and producing some of the best fruit anywhere in Australia...... |
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MCLAREN VALE |
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| Fully mature, low yielding vines in the McLaren Vale supply the fruit for this fine wine. Dean Hewitson has spent many vintages honing his winemaking skills with some of Australia’s most highly regarded producers, Petaluma for example, and finally with this wine he gets a chance to make some thing entirely for himself...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Again another triumph for Pikes. This Shiraz epitomises the Clare Valley's suitability for the variety, and in particular the 1996 vintage as one of the finest in recent years. The warm climate sits comfortably between the extremes and displays fully ripe fruit from low yielding vines. The result is sweet ripe fruit with a touch of spice. The careful attention to detail in the winery produces a wine with added complexity to the abundance of fresh fruit...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Some may say the quality of the standard wines from Pikes is so consistently high they do not need to put out a reserve range, however the Pike brothers, Neil and Andrew, like to test their skills to the limit. Only if they are completely satisfied with the quality do they release the wine. This '96 is very worthy of its Reserve status...... |
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BLEWITT SPRINGS, MCLAREN VALE |
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| What could Roman Bratasiuk do to top his 1995 Grenache releases. Well he has made even better wines with incredible concentration and power. This vineyard is the big one, producing the most intense and concentrated fruit suitable for the longest maturation period and this wine will live on and on for many years...... |
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KANGARILLA, MCLAREN VALE |
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| Another year and yet another Roman Bratasiuk single vineyard Grenache. Not content with the huge success of his Clarendon and Blewitt Springs vineyards, released as separate wines for the 1995 vintage, Roman has secured another small parcel of fruit from a vineyard with old bush trellised Grenache located in the Clarendon sub-region...... |
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MCLAREN VALE |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| Here is a wine with generous fruit, well balanced oak treatment and is typical of top quality Auatralian Cabernet Sauvignon. The only surprise is the price...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| Never to be cited for lacking ambition or not giving himself a challenge, Roman Bratasiuk has pursued the quest for a Merlot to rival his great Shiraz and Grenache wines. Previous vintages have been very good, but this one is supreme...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| Merlot has not yet made the same impact as a single varietal wine in Australia as it has done so in the United States. For no apparent reason. The nature of Merlot with its attractive forward fruit flavors and comparatively soft finish would seem to make it an ideal wine suited to the Australian lifestyle and dining demands. It will happen in time and with wines like this Elderton, the public will warm to the variety sooner rather later. In the meantime this wine can be slipped out of Australia and offered to you, so enjoy it...... |
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MCLAREN VALE/COONAWARRA |
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| This is the most finely balanced Joseph to date. The wine displays little of the "Moda Amarone" to ripen and extract further flavors. Certainly the flavors are there in abundance. . This wine is truly amazing in its concentration and balance and is the finest red wine Joe Grilli has yet produced...... |
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WATERVALE, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Stephanie Toole has made a total commitment to the production of wine to the highest possible level. It certainly shows with this wine. The Clare Valley has long been regarded as premium white wine territory, most notably of course with Riesling, however the local winemakers have maintained that red grapes can be equally successful. The rest of the population are now starting to agree...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Once again Neil Pike has triumphed with a red wine. He may soon be known as a red wine specialist who dabbles in a little Riesling! The Clare Valley has long been regarded as home to Australia's finest Rieslings, however it is equally suitable for the production of robust and generous red wine, such as this 1996 Cabernet Merlot...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| As if Neil Pike's standard Riesling is not good enough. Well it is good enough, however every so often Neil receives a batch of fruit that is so exceptional in every way he is forced to keep it separate and release it as a "Reserve" wine...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| Semillon is used extensively throughout Australia. It traditionally has been the mainstay white grape variety alongside Shiraz for red. The two varieties both excel in the same climatic zones and it is appropriate that Semillon is the supreme white grape in the warm Barossa Valley. The Ashmeads' has crafted a superb wine from Semillon where he highlights the varietal c haracteristics and lifts them to a new plane with the modern and un-traditional addition of retrained new oak...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Dessert Wine |
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| The warm fall of the Barossa Valley invariably allows grapes to ripen to their full potential. In exceptional vintages Lorraine Ashmead leaves a small amount of his Semillon on the vine for extended ripening, and has combined this fruit with other vineyard sources, to create a "Golden" Semillon...... |
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GEELONG |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| Gary Farr has held a lofty reputation as one of Australia’s finest winemakers for a considerable length of time. He deserves the accolades because he has never rested on his laurels, never felt that he has ever achieved his goals. The result is that his wine gets better and better. What we all thought was amazing in his mid 80s vintages is regularly surpassed by his current wines and this great Chardonnay is certainly no exception...... |
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NORTON SUMMIT, ADELAIDE HILLS |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| Roman Bratasiuk is a great believer in allowing the vineyards to express themselves in his wine. He therefore makes two Chardonnays from two different vineyards. The "Norton Summit" vineyard is located in the Adelaide Hills, one of the coolest viticultural regions in Australia. The fruit drawn from this vineyard is delicate, aromatic and exhibits wonderful tropical characteristics...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| Considering the attention Roman Bratasiuk has received for his all conquering red wines it may come as a surprise to taste this wine and see that Roman is equally adept at whites...... |
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WATERVALE, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| There is great controversy in Australia at the moment over the virtues of Chardonnay that has not seen either fermentation or maturation in oak barrels, despite the fact that the French in Chablis have been making "Unwooded Chardonnay" for hundreds of years. Stephanie Toole recognizes the potential to draw from Chablis' heritage, and with the right fruit is excited about the prospect of doing so...... |
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EDEN VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Dessert Wine |
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| The wine is named after the magic (La Magia) of Botrytis Cinerea. Joe Grilli has been playing around with this magic for many years. His reputation as one of Australia’s truly great and innovative winemakers was first developed after he made and subsequently released some amazing Botrytis affected Rieslings. His first vintage was 1981, and yet this is his first release of a Botrytis Riesling under his prestigious "Joseph" label. That is how good this wine is...... |
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CLARE VALLEY |
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| Careful treatment of the fruit in the vine, in the winery and follow that with a critical, objective selection in the cellar and you have the basis of the Pikes Reserve range. Only the very finest wines are graced with the reserve title and as such they are hand made in very small quantities...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| This has proved to be a very consistent label with each subsequent year fulfilling the promise of earlier vintages. Don’t look for surprises with this wine as its archetypical Barossa Valley Shiraz. It is big in all facets with big fruit, big oak and big on structure. These wines work only when there is a balance between these components. The balance is achieved with an understanding of the grape growing phase and careful treatment in the winery. Richard Sheedy and his team have honed their skills over the vintages and this release could well be the best yet...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| The acronym stands for Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot. 60%, 30% and 10%. This composition allows for a fruit driven wine to be crafted with immediate drinking enjoyment...... |
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GEELONG |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Always the forgotten wine in the Bannockburn collection, this wine is once again an overlooked gem. The climate at Bannockburn is quite cool, and some would say too cool to ripen Cabernet Sauvignon. But Bannockburn Vineyards has one climatic factor in its favour and that is lack of rainfall during the ripening period. This allows slow but consistent ripening late in the fall of the grapes...... |
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GEELONG/VICTORIA |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 6/750ml |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN/WEST AUSTRALIA |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 6/1.5L |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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