Airline pilots make surprisingly good wine. Their appreciation of the sciences, a respect for the weather and a bird's eye view of the land, all invaluable to the winemaker's art. John Ellis would take every opportune weekend away from his regular New York Paris route, to pursue a passion for viticulture. He planted the first commercial Cabernet Merlot vines in the Hamptons and found time between trans atlantic flights to work vintages amongst the Grand Cru vineyards of La Bourgogne. Ellis ultimately made the great lifelong sea change in favour of our land downunder. He settled on a farmstead outside Leongatha, amongst the slow ripening pastures of Gippsland and established a vineyard called Bellvale. It is now a place of fully mature vines and old world Burgundian techniques, sur lie..
Placing pinot amongst the pastures»
Right next to the Merry Widow Inn at Glenrowan, infamous of Kelly gang folklore, Richard Bailey set up shop to service prospectors during the great Victorian gold rush of the 1860s. Rows of newly planted Shiraz soon followed and the Baileys released their first vintage in 1870. The region was ultimately infected by the terrible vine killing plague of the 1890s, a guarded blessing for Glenrowan, which elevated the quarantine status of its vitiated vineyards to a marque of the highest provenance. Baileys endure as one of the new world's most arcane and mythical wineworks, a small estate of historically significant parcels, producing limited vintages, defined by their exceptional value, purity of parentage and wondrous regional..
The bushranger's brew»
A superb balance of fruit freshness, blackberries and spiced plum, cocoa and carob notes over a length of firm but silky tannins which are recognizably Taltarn. A Victorian flagship effort in the uniquely Australian experience of icon Shiraz Cabernet wines... More»
Hints of pepper and soft oak spice are well integrated with the dark lush fruits. Increasingly, Mount Langi are reaping the harvest of some sensational old rootstock, sown decades ago... More»
Vibrant with rich fruit flavours of citrus, fleshy stonefruits and tropical notes. Voyager are meticulous in everything they do, from varietal and clonal selection to vineyard management and the winemaking process... More»
Rich, plump mid palate with savoury flavours, characters of rhubarb and ham, sleek tannins that glide across the palate. The Father in Law is a single block of elite vine, originally acquired to keep Mrs Melton's dad busy after... More»
Medium bodied, the lively palate offers zesty lemon/ lime flavours combined whith guava and hints of thyme and spice. Is it from Margaret River, classicaly fruit driven and rejuvenatingly dry? you bet! Xanadu were one of the regional pioneers... More»
A lovely mix of red and black berries with beguiling complexity and fine integration gained from the spiced, aromatic oak. A multi award winning Pinot Noir, Roaring Meg is the enthusiastic younger brother to the exalted Mt Difficulty label, a... More»
The sensational vintages of St John's Road were generations in the making, the fruit of grand old vineyards and the progeny of families which have tilled Barossa soil since early settlement. The landed gentry along St John's Road represent a heritage of the most distinguished names in Australian viticulture, Lehmann and Lienert, Zander, Kalleske and Schutz. With each vintage, they earmark small parcels of the most exceptional Barossa fruit, to be treated to a course of traditional open ferments and term of age in the finest French oak. Bearing such pious Lutheran monikers as Prayer Garden and Resurrection Vineyard, these sacred sites are planted to some of the oldest clones in the world. St John's Road, you'll be drinking the very..
Brought to you by barossa born & bred»
Returning to his home along the Nagambie Lakes after the completion of service during World War II, Eric Purbrick discovered a cache of wine, hidden circa 1876 under the family estate cellars. Though pale in colour, it was sound and drinkable after seven decades. The promise of long lived red wine inspired Purbrick to establish new plantings at Chateau Tahbilk in 1949, today they are some of Victoria's oldest productive Cabernet Sauvignon vines. Having barely scraped through the ravages of phyloxera and a period of disrepute, the fortunes of Tahbilk were turned around by Purbrick who was the first to market Australian wine under its varietal name. Tahbilk proudly hosts the largest, single holding of Marsanne on the planet. Tahbilk's original rows of Shiraz are commonly cited as one of the great vineyards of the world, regularly sampled..
Phyloxera, ancient cellars & seriously old vines»