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CLARENDON |
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| The depth of color is immediately apparent with a dark blood red, almost black in the center of the glass. The color extends all the way to the rim and the clarity is just removed from brilliance, indicating that the wine has not been filtered...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| This is a new vineyard to be added to the Bratasiuk collection, and a worthy addition it is indeed. The wine has intensity and its own individual flavors, and of course it has been made with the deft touch of Roman Bratasiuk...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| It is truly amazing just how different each of Roman Bratasiuk's individual Shiraz vineyard wines are...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| Here is Roman Bratasiuk's showcase wine, the fifth release of this superior wine and they keep getting better...... |
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CANBERRA DISTRICT |
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| First thing first. There is very little of this wine, production being dramatically reduced with spring frosts. The good side of this is that the quality is even better than the majority of previous vintages...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| Roman Bratasiuk continues to make the most intense and concentrated red wines in Australia. He also is this country's most committed devotee to single vineyard expression. The three single vineyard Grenache releases from the 1998 vintage are all quite different to each other and provide fascinating comparisons...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| Medium dark in color the appearance indicates the wine has plenty of depth without being over extracted. The color is right to the rim and the clarity is a fraction off being brilliant, due no doubt to the no filtration approach adopted by Winemaker Roman Bratasiuk...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| This wine has a deep and dark red color with a purple tint. It is just a little cloudy, which is a sign that the wine has not seen a filter, promising unadulterated real fruit flavor...... |
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CLARE VALLEY |
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| The introduction of this wine has proved a great success. Parcels of fruit are selected from mature dry grown vines and are blended together to produce a traditional Australian full bodied red wine that can be enjoyed at a young age with all the fresh fruit being so overwhelming. Generally the big Aussie red requires plenty of time to soften because they are heavily extracted. By the time the palate is soft the fruit flavor has developed into the secondary characters...... |
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BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Mourvedre |
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| The vines supplying the very few grapes to make this limited release wine were planted in 1853, therefore just qualifying as old vines. Mourvedre is a forgotten variety in Australia, generally favored as a blending variety to add a little perfume and bite to the rich middle palate of good ripe Shiraz...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Sauvignon Blanc |
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| Ask Neil Pike when he last made a bad wine and his natural modesty will prevail and he will probably mutter something to effect that he is always trying to do his best and sometimes things don’t work out to please everyone. Ask any person who is familiar with his range of wines and they will be far more forthright, and state categorically that he would not know how to make a bad wine and that he continues to improve the quality of his whole range with each succeeding vintage...... |
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AUBURN, CLARE VALLEY |
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| How can the Clare Valley possibly repeat the great success of the 1997 vintage, regarded by many as one of the greatest years for Riesling ever? Whether 1998 will be as widely acclaimed remains to be seen. However, the master of Riesling, Jeffrey Grossett, has produced his 1998 "Polish Hill" and at this youthful stage it is more attractive drinking than the 1997...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| The ’98 vintage was exemplary at Neil’s Polish Hill River Estate, and it shows in this wine...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| The great beauty of the Riesling grape variety is that is the purest expression of the concept of "terroir" of all the premium grape varieties. Generally the wine is vinified in a similar manner. This means using cool ferments, protection from oxidization, and no oak or malo-lactic fermentation. This results in different parcels of fruit exhibiting different characteristics only because of their vineyard location...... |
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LOWER HUNTER VALLEY |
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| The Hunter Valley has one great white wine variety. Despite the rush towards Chardonnay in the 1980s, Semillon, has always been the Hunter’s finest variety. The typical style is one that is shy in youth but blossoms after 5 years bottle age...... |
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WATERVALE, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Dessert Wine |
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| Given the renowned fickle nature of dessert wines this is a remarkably consistent wine. The method of production plays the most important role in producing this consistency...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 12/375ml |
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Riesling |
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| This wine has well and truly arrived. Over the past few years the wine has been very impressive and indeed if there is a region outside the Clare and Eden Valleys to equal the exquisite nature of Riesling then the Lower Great Southern is the most likely...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Neil Pike believes 1998 could be overall his finest red wine vintage. High praise indeed given the quality wines he has produced from the other vintages...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| This is Neil’s second release of this blend inspired by the wines of Chateaneuf-du-Pape and other fine wines from the Southern Rhone Valley. This style has developed along its own path in Australia and in a particularly distinctive way for Neil Pike. The 1998 is even more appealing than the prior vintage. Much could be attributed to a modified blend - 40% shiraz, 40% grenache and 20% Mourvedre. It is immediately appealing with its finesse and elegance on show from the moment you nose the wine...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Generally this is the lighter and slightly shy red in the Pikes stable. Not that it is ever a light red, just a little less full bodied than the straight Cabernet Sauvignon and indeed quite a different sensation to the powerful Shiraz which is so "in your face". The vagaries of the vintage sometimes changes these characters and with the outstanding 1998 vintage this wine takes on a new dimension...... |
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BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| Dean Hewitson continues to impress with every new release. Realizing the amazing quality of the 1998 vintage in the Barossa Valley, and indeed virtually everywhere in Australia, Dean sought out some special fruit. He found a vineyard with 70 year old Shiraz vines. Vineyards of this age tend to produce high quality fruit every year, but when the climate is just about perfect the fruit will be even better than normal...... |
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MCLAREN VALE/COWRA/PADTHAWAY |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| Named after a clown this is a friendly, uncomplicated fun sort of a wine. Enjoy it without contemplating too much. Leave all the thinking and agonizing to the winemaking team...... |
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MCLAREN VALE/HUNTER VALLEY/KING VALLEY |
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| Ever the master blender Iain Riggs has always searched around the country in order to find fruit to complement his fine base wine at his Hunter Valley base. There is a finite amount of premium vineyard sites in the Hunter Valley and rather than purchase inferior fruit for the sake of regional purity, Iain will bring in fruit to make a better wine. This vintage is one of his best efforts, without any question...... |
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LOWER HUNTER VALLEY |
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| This is a single vineyard Hunter Valley wine. Shiraz is the great red variety, in most of our grape growing regions and the greatest wines of the Hunter are certainly from Shiraz. The yields are exceedingly low, but in the dry years the fruit concentration is quite remarkable. This vineyard produces some of the best Shiraz fruit that is very distinctive in character. It is therefore bottled separately to retain its own "terroir"...... |
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MCLAREN VALE |
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| Iain Riggs has always been impressed with McLaren Vale fruit, particularly of the Shiraz variety. This vineyard is low yielding and the wines have been remarkably consistent. The 1998 vintage was superb in McLaren Vale and this wine certainly shows this quality. This is perhaps the finest release of this wine...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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| The development of this label from an interesting but obscure wine to one of the most highly sought after examples of the variety has been truly amazing. Each succeeding vintage sees an extra layer of flavor as the vines mature. The 1998 vintage has been highly acclaimed in South Australia and Victoria. It is obvious from this wine that the harvest was equally successful in the West...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| This is the quiet achiever of the Frankland Estate range. Never seeming to get as much attention as the reds, or even the Riesling, it has consistently been a fine elegant wine with just the right balance of fruit and complexity. Again with this years vintage the team of Judi Cullam and Barrie Smith have produced a wine that is a fine balance between delicacy and power, fruit and complexity...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| There is no doubt that Roman Bratasiuk likes White Burgundy. Whilst this wine is very much an Australian Chardonnay it owes more than a little to the gentle slopes just outside of Puligny and Chassagne...... |
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MCLAREN VALE/COONAWARRA |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Joe Grilli can do no wrong. He makes an amazing array of wines, and is a master of all styles he attempts. This is one of the finest in an exceptional line of robust full bodied reds that still retain delicacy and elegance. It is indeed the thirteenth vintage of this supreme and unique wine...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| The 1998 vintage has shown itself to be one of the best for reds throughout South Australia. This wine further enhances the reputation of both the vintage and its winemaker, the inimitable Roman Bratasiuk...... |
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NORTON SUMMIT, ADELAIDE HILLS |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| The white wines made by Roman Bratasiuk are really reds masquerading as whites. They have the same intensity of his reds. They have the same boldness as his reds. They display the same old world characteristics as his reds. Yet they are still white wines. Look to another producer if you want the more common Australian white wine style which is fruit driven. These are complex, intense wine...... |
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GEELONG |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| First of all this is a very rare and very special wine. There will never be another one like it so purely from this perspective it is a guaranteed collectors item. The vineyards at Bannockburn were almost totally decimated by a freak hail storm a few months prior to the expected harvest date. Crop levels were down to around 10 per cent of the average crop, and let me assure you these vineyards are low cropping every year...... |
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GEELONG |
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January Release |
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Pinot Noir |
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| First of all this is a very rare and very special wine. There will never be another one like it so purely from this perspective it is a guaranteed collectors item. The vineyards at Bannockburn were almost totally decimated by a freak hail storm a few months prior to the expected harvest date. Crop levels were down to around 10 per cent of the average crop, and let me assure you these vineyards are low cropping every year...... |
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GEELONG |
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| First of all this is a very rare and very special wine. There will never be another one like it so purely from this perspective it is a guaranteed collectors item. The vineyards at Bannockburn were almost totally decimated by a freak hail storm a few months prior to the expected harvest date. Crop levels were down to around 10 per cent of the average crop, and let me assure you these vineyards are low cropping every year...... |
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CLARENDON |
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| Despite not receiving the same sort of accolades for this variety as he does for his Shiraz and Grenache releases, Roman Bratasiuk has produced several fine Merlots that rank as Australia’s finest. This year in keeping with his overall policy of expressing terroir Roman has made two individual vineyard Merlots. The "Brookman Vineyard" produces wine with immediate charm and generosity of fruit, whilst the "Hickinbotham Vineyard" is a more reserved style and takes longer to express itself...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Pinot Noir |
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| Generally Roman is best regarded for his bigger heavier reds, particularly Shiraz and Grenache, but given the right fruit he is equally adept in the more delicate and ethereal variety of Pinot Noir. This is Roman’s first release of Pinot. For those who don’t know him, his passion is Burgundy, his winemaking philosophy is Burgundian. Hnece not surprisingly the aromas of this wine are pure Burgundy. Smoky bacon bones, sweet and sour chutney, mushrooms and earth...... |
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EDEN VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 12/375ml |
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Dessert Wine |
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| Once again Joe Grilli triumphs with this wonderful wine, certainly deserving its name. The translation is "The Magic". The magic is the Noble Rot or Botrytis. Joe has experimented with Botrytis affected wines for many years. It has only been in the last few vintages that he has been confident enough to put the wine under the banner of his exclusive ‘Joseph’ range...... |
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RIVERINA |
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January Release |
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Dessert Wine |
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| Over the past few vintages this wine has consistently shown attractive luscious fruit combined with a discernible but not overwhelming dose of Botrytis. And so it is with the 1998 release...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| This is an amazing wine for the standard release, considering there is the mighty “Command” in the line up. The grapes used in this wine are picked from vineyards that are over 40 years of age. This shows in the depth of fruit flavor and rich texture of this wine. As an added bonus this vintage was spectacular in the Barossa Valley and the team at Elderton have taken full advantage of this...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| Too often the Barossa Valley is dismissed as a producer of anything other the Shiraz. Certainly the success of that variety has made it difficult for all the other grape varieties. Yet Cabernet Sauvignon has typically been very successful in the Barossa, and this wine is no exception. The vintage of 1998 is very highly regarded; one of the best for many years, and that also shows in this wine...... |
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MCLAREN VALE |
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| This wine gets better and better. In just a few short years Dean Hewitson has been able to define his style and seek out of the fruit all the best characters that true old vines Shiraz can deliver. These vines are now Seventy-Four years old, which is certainly mature in anyone’s thinking...... |
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LOWER HUNTER VALLEY |
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| This premium wine from mature, dry grown and very low yielding vines has now become one of Australia¹s classic wines. It¹s reputation is justly deserved and this wine only adds further lustre to the label...... |
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CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| The 1998 vintage was kind to the brothers Pike. Andrew was able to produce grapes with concentration, ripeness and true varietal flavor. Handing over to winemaking brother Neil where the grapes were treated with care, proudly producing some of the finest wines ever...... |
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WATERVALE, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Winemaker Stephanie Toole ensures that every aspect of her winemaking operation is directed towards producing the highest possible quality. This covers grape growing through to winery techniques. The warm and dry Clare Valley climate does the rest. The 1998 vintage was particularly successful with near perfect ripening conditions. The yields were quite low, which is great for the taste of the wine, not as good for the supply...... |
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HEATHCOTE |
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| Shiraz had always been one of Sergio Carlei’s favourite varieties and the Heathcote area in central Victoria has consistently provided some of the best fruit anywhere in the country. Here Sergio’s Italian background possibly helped, as he was able to negotiate with an elderly farmer who settled here after the Second World War and planted grapes. This vineyard, now named the “Forties Old Block” is grown organically and produces super low yields of fruit with amazing concentration...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| This is another example of the supreme vintage of 1998. Winemaker/owner Roman Bratasiuk has released 3 individual vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon wines, each offering a distinctive perspective of the noble grape variety. The “Hickinbotham Vineyard” is elegant and perfumed, packaged with an ever so slightly softer finish than its colleagues are. It’s still a very intense wine with a whole lifetime ahead of it...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| There is little doubt that Roman Bratasiuk has a remarkable touch with red wine. He extracts as much flavor and structure he can, in so doing he produces wine that has aging potential far beyond his colleagues...... |
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WATERVALE, CLARE VALLEY |
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| This wine has always been a sleeping giant of Stephanie Toole’s impressive portfolio of Mount Horrocks wines. Perhaps the recognition will come with this wine, quite possibly her finest release...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| The color is foreboding, with deep purple red turning into black. The depth of the color is amazing with the description of “inky” almost being inadequate...... |
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CLARENDON |
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January Release |
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Chardonnay |
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| There is no doubt about this wine. It is Roman Bratasiuk attempting to craft a Chardonnay in the white Burgundy mould. Roman’s red wines may have similarities with their French counterparts, however the strong vineyard characters invariably shine through. Here the winemaking techniques take center stage...... |
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CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Words simply fail to convey the unique positioning of the Gaia vineyard. This is the highest vineyard in the Clare, hidden on 5,000ft graziers property. You will never find it alone!! A very unforgiving growing location for the vines. They have toi work hard to reach down through broken slate to find nutrients...... |
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SUNBURY |
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| Pat Carmody lets each vintage speak for itself. A cool ripening period will see a wine with lifted perfumes and spice. With his fine Shiraz it also brings the elusive white pepper so often is it talked about yet rarely is it obtained. This wine just about explodes with a white pepper aroma...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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| Deep purple red. Complex aromas of dark berries, leather and a suggestion of liquorice nicely integrated with new French oak characters...... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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Current Release |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| Medium purple red. Fragrant aromas of cassis, violets and rose petals, beautifully integrated with high quality new French oak...... |
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CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 6/750ml |
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Merlot |
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| Deep purple red. Lifted aromas of ripe black cherries, dark chocolate and cedary French oak characters. Quite complex already...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| This is clearly the best Merlot yet produced by Elderton, and one of the finest in Australia...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| A blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Shiraz and 10% Merlot. Rich red in color, the nose delivers hints of red and black fruits, spice, licorice and mineral notes...... |
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FRANKLAND, GREAT SOUTHERN |
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January Release |
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Bordeaux Blends |
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| Perhaps the most distinctively elegant Bordeaux inspired blend out of Australia, sourced from the “Isolation Ridge” Vineyard. For starters it is Merlot (48%) and Cabernet Franc (43%) dominant, with smaller parcels of Malbec (4%), Cabernet Sauvignon (3%) and Petit Verdot (3%) , completing the “choir”...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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| This has to be the best Command of the 90’s to date!! This is an enormous yet graceful wine. The fruit is sourced from vines planted back in the early 1900’s on the Elderton Estate, so the wine has a head start in terms of intensity of flavor and depth of character...... |
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NURIOOTPA, BAROSSA VALLEY |
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Case Size: 6/750ml |
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Cabernet Sauvignon |
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| This is the inaugural release of this mega 100% Cabernet Sauvignon, with all the fruit sourced from the oldest Cabernet vines on the Estate. It is to Cabernet as “The Command” is to Shiraz!!... |
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POLISH HILL RIVER, CLARE VALLEY |
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January Release |
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Case Size: 6/750ml |
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Italian Varietals |
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| There are climatic similarities between the Clare Valley and Tuscany. The summer and fall seasons are generally warm and dry. Both are situated amongst rolling hills where morning dew is trapped to protect the vines during extended periods of sunshine...... |
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