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After hearing tall tales of the Victorian klondike, he jumped ship and made his way to the Castlemaine goldfields. Black Jack mined no fortune but he found his fame as the only American mariner to still be savoured alongside have claimed the eminent M.Chapoutier Trophy for Best Shiraz at the prestigious Le Concours des Vinson on no fewer than three occasions... Found berth in the australian colonies during the goldrush of the 1850s»
Some precious old blocks of ancient vine Grenache still remain after a government sponsored program to cull unproductive vineyards during the 1980s. Yielding excruciatingly small harvests of the most characterful fruit, these wizzened old veterans deliver small batch vintages which are evocative of the old world classics from Cotes du Rhone. The enduring Wirra Wirra were established 1894, their eclectic range belies the splendour of small parcels which are separately handled and bottled for exclusive release. The Absconder draws fruit from vines planted a century ago, it merits a breathing and decant, an articulation about the sublime excellence of old vine Australian Grenache... The compelling case for old vines grenache»
The story of Langmeil begins with early Barossa settlement, planted to Shiraz by Christian Auricht in the 1840s, the estate vineyards were restored by the Lindner and Bitter families during the 1990s. Some of Herr Auricht's original plantings are still in production, three and a half priceless acres of gnarled, dry grown vines which provided the cuttings for much of Langmeil's refurbished heirloom parcels. A princely range of old, to very old single vineyard wines, delineated by the eloquence of each unique site, defined by the provenance of history and pioneer folklore. Saved from the ravages of time by the hand of providence and generations of dedicated Barossa growers... The legacy landscapes of langmeil»
The very first blocks of vine planted at Scotchmans Hill, are now in their fourth decade. Set aside for bottling as a range of limited release, single vineyard wines, they represent the first growth of viticulture from the fertile crescent of Port Phillip's western shore. Crafted to traditional old world techniques, very similar to the great Crus of la Bourgogne, they afford the true enthusiast an opportunity to engage with the decadent delights of the greater Geelong, as sampled alongside Gruyere, game and the finest gourmandise... All the best from scotchmans hill»

Tolpuddle Coal Valley Chardonnay CONFIRM VINTAGE

Chardonnay Coal River Tasmania
By those wonderful folks who bring us Shaw & Smith, Tolpuddle was planted to vine in 1988, on a highly precious site along Back Tea Tree Road, just outside Hobart. The inaugural vintage claimed Tasmanian Vineyard of Year in 2006, Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith acquired the property in 2011, with a view to elevating the excruciatingly limited release Tolpuddle wines to the status of a national Grand Cru. A singular experience in new world Pinot Noir, Tolpuddle unravels endless layers of pastoral complexity, powerfully structured yet elegant, immaculate and poised.
Tolpuddle
Tolpuddle Vineyard was established in 1988, named for the Tolpuddle Martyrs: English convicts transported to Tasmania for forming an agricultural union

As the story goes, the leader of the Martyrs, George Loveless, served some of his sentence working on a property near Richmond, part of which is now Tolpuddle Vineyard. The vineyard is now planted with mature Chardonnay and Pinot Noir vines, facing northeast, sloping gently up from Back Tea Tree Road. The soil is light silica over sandstone and of moderate vigour, ensuring well-balanced vines producing grapes of great flavour and intensity. Martin Shaw and Michael Hill Smith MW acquired the property in 2011, fully committed to seeing Tolpuddle recognised as one of Australia's great single vineyards. In 2006 Tolpuddle Vineyard won the inaugural Tasmanian Vineyard of the Year award, reflecting the performance of this unique and distinguished site.

Tolpuddle

Located about 20 minutes drive from Hobart, in Tasmania's southeast, Coal River Valley has established a reputation for growing exceptional quality grapes. With a climate that is at the cool extremes for viticulture in Australia, it is no surprise that Chardonnay and Pinot Noir perform so splendidly. An anomaly for such a cool climate is that the rainfall is significantly lower than many of Australia's other cool climate regions, with an average of approximately 500mm of rain per year. This cool but relatively dry climate allows the grapes to ripen slowly in autumn, without disease pressure that heavy rainfall can bring.

Early in his career Martin Shaw worked at Petaluma and in Bordeaux, prior to setting up the Flying Winemakers network in France, Spain, Italy, Chile and New Zealand. In 1989, he established Shaw + Smith with cousin Michael Hill Smith. Martin is Joint Managing Director of Shaw + Smith and Tolpuddle Vineyard and he oversees all aspects of grape growing and winemaking.

Michael Hill Smith was the first Australian to pass the rigorous Master of Wine examination. In 2008 he was awarded an Order of Australia for his contribution to the Australian Wine Industry. Featured on Decanter Magazine's power list 2009, 2011 and 2013, Michael is an international wine judge, wine consultant and strong advocate for Australian fine wine both within Australia and internationally.

Tolpuddle

Tolpuddle