Koha Marlborough Pinot Noir 2015

Cane pruned on VSP trellising. The Southern Valleys of Marlborough are now firmly established as the premium Pinot Noir sub region, without question.

Revered for its rich clay soils, cool nights and extremely warm days, the Southern Valleys are naturally formed north facing pockets of Pinot Noir perfection.  

The ripe fruit was picked and then cold soaked for 3-5 days before being allowed to start by indigenous ferment. Hand plunged 2-4 times a day as required.

The wine was left on skins to extract flavour, colour and tannin for 7-10 days post ferment. Aged in a mix of oak barrels and stainless steel tanks for 9 months to undergo malo-lactic fermentation and allow the tannins to soften and the oak to integrate.

Koha Marlborough Sauvignon Blanc 2018

Both vineyards are cane pruned on VSP trellising. The soils of the lower Wairau Valley Home Block give us ripe, complex flavours and pungent aromatics. While the naturally low cropping Redwood Hills Awatere Vineyard provides fruit with elegance, minerality and length.

The fruit was harvested in the cool of the morning and transferred to the winery where it underwent temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks using carefully selected yeast cultures. Post-ferment maturation on fine lees gives the wine a refined texture to compliment the exuberant aromatics.

Grigori Heathcote Shiraz 2017

Our Family Reserve collection is the culmination of over 35 years of Grigoriou family wine making tradition. Selected vineyards are chosen in Australia’s most prized wine regions, including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Heathcote and Coonawarra, to create single site wines of substance and longevity. Our Family Reserve wines are designed to transport the drinker into the vineyard, and express the true varietal nature of the fruit as well as the unique terroir of each wine.

Grigori Clare Valley Riesling 2017

Our Family Reserve collection is the culmination of over 35 years of Grigoriou family wine making tradition. Selected vineyards are chosen in Australia’s most prized wine regions, including the Barossa Valley, McLaren Vale, Clare Valley, Heathcote and Coonawarra, to create single site wines of substance and longevity. Our Family Reserve wines are designed to transport the drinker into the vineyard, and express the true varietal nature of the fruit as well as the unique terroir of each wine.

Clare Hills Clare Valley Riesling 2018 By Neil Pike

The grapes for this wine were both machine and hand harvested, then transported to the winery, crushed, chilled and pressed as soon as possible prior to the juice being clarified by cold settling. It was then inoculated with a neutral, pure yeast culture and fermentation carried out in stainless steel temperature controlled tanks for on average 25 days. The wine was stabilised, blended and then filtered prior to bottling in June 2018.

The Colonial Estate Envoy Barossa Valley Grenache Shiraz Mourvedre 2015

Envoy is probably the most European in style wine that we make in Australia and has been confused from time to time with a wine from the Southern Rhone. As ever, the grapes are picked and given a French twist in their winemaking to deliver something slightly different. Fermentation is French for up to two-thirds of the wine made the rest vinified in a more standard Australian way. Aged in oak for 12 months then in bottle for an additional 12 months prior to release.

Richmond Bridge Tasmanian Pinot Noir 2017

The low yielding 2017 vintage resulted in great fruit concentration and in turn high quality wines were produced. Selected batches of Pinot Noir from select vineyards were picked over a three-week period. All batches were destemmed and were wild fermented in small open top fermenters. Gentle plunging and pump over techniques, combined with warm fermentations, ensure bright freshly fruit characters. After pressing, the wine underwent malolactic fermentation in old French oak and stainless steel. 

Normans Old Vine McLaren Vale Shiraz 2017

Normans Wines is one of the oldest and most respected family names in Australian winemaking. Since 1853, when Jesse Norman planted his first vines in Adelaide, Normans Wines has developed a reputation for premium award winning Australian wines. Normans Wines is one of Australia’s founding winemakers.

The unseasonable rainfall through the summer months of 2016 delayed the onset of veraison and consequently harvesting of the fruit, with our pick pushed back a month later in 2017. The drier weather pattern experienced in March and April produced cool nights and warm days – ideal for both accelerating ripening and suppressing fungal disease. Predominantly mild summer temperatures and a further 79mm of rain in January delayed ripening and the vines continued to show no signs of stress. All this combined for an ideal slow and steady vintage. Fruit was hand selected from the two same vineyards as 2016 then shipped to the winery and worked through the destemmer, the fruit was crushed and had a few days cold soaking, we allowed natural yeast fermentation and used a careful regime of plunging and drained and returns to get the right balance of extraction. The wine was carefully pressed after 10 days on skins and allowed to complete malolactic fermentation prior to barrel aging then selected barrels were bottled with minimal fining or filtration.

Wild Horn Wines The Raging Bull Langhorne Creek Shiraz 2017

Picked and transported to winery where after crushing it was fermented in open top fermenters then was aged with select older fine grained American and French oak. The parcels of fruit were assembled based on their ability to create a wine which is regionally and varietally correct and has profound fruit flavour, complexity and structure. 

Although drinking well upon release this wine will reward with 4+ years in the cellar.

The Colonial Estate Explorateur Barossa Valley Sparkling Shiraz Nv

The vineyards that make up Explorateur are based in the northwestern Barossa Valley. This is a belt of land/terroir that runs from just to the northwest of Tanunda – Marananga, Greenock, Moppa, Ebenezer, and through to Stockwell, just north of Nuriootpa. Cropping levels are kept low to ensure fruit flavour is focus. This Shiraz is created from a blend of vintages, primary fermentation is in stainless steel vats followed by extended barrel fermentation on lees to build complexity and richness. The parcels were blended followed by secondary fermentation which gives the wine its sparkle.

Should be drinking well now and over the next 6 or so years.