The Colonial Estate Explorateur Barossa Valley Shiraz 2016

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 highly concentrated. The same equipment that is accorded to our more expensive wines is made available to Explorateur. Fermentation is French in approach for up to two thirds of the wine made; the rest is vinified in a more Australian way, as is the oak treatment.

Songlines Estates Bylines McLaren Vale Cabernet Sauvignon 2016

The grapes come from vineyard blocks not far from those that go into Songlines and the fruit has been specifically hand chosen for its approachability as a young wine. 2016 saw the selection of some older material as part of the blend to add some more complex character and add longevity. The winemaking uses warmer ferments in traditional open fermenters with plunging 3 times each day to soften the palate, and the use of older barrels to impart less oak dominance. The wine is matured for 12 months in second and some third use French barrels to provide softer rounder oak character.

Clare Hills Clare Valley Cabernet Merlot 2014 By Neil Pike

The 2014 vintage was shaped by a cool winter with average rainfall followed by a dry and quite warm spring. Budburst was a touch earlier than normal due to the warmer conditions – maybe a week earlier than what is considered average. Summer was very warm to very hot. January was particularly hot at times - only broken up by a week of cooler weather in the third week. Thankfully the heat dissipated mid February and the fruit was able to ripen in the cooler months of March & April. The grapes for this wine were machine harvested, transported to the winery, de-stemmed into open fermenters and cold soaked for three days before fermentation began. The wine was pumped over twice daily during ferment for approx 7 days and this was followed by draining, pressing and then maturation in French oak casks for 14 months before racking and blending. The wine was stabilised and lightly filtered prior to bottling.   

The Colonial Estate Alexander Laing Barossa Grenache 2015

Alexander Laing is sourced from a single vineyard in Greenock on the far northwestern slopes of the Barossa valley. The Grenache from Alexander Laing vineyard manifests itself as small berries on small bunches that are packed with flavour. That, coupled with old vines that have already proved their provenance, gives us a perfect base. At dawn, the grapes are handpicked then destemmed. Fermentation, like our top wines, Exile and Émigré, is conducted in vats, followed by maloactic fermentation and ageing in French oak barrels.

Awesome Premium Regional Shiraz 2015

Shiraz fruit from a Single Vineyard in the Wrattonbully sub region of the Limestone Coast was sourced to produce this wine. The fermentation of this wine was conventional and classic, with the fermenting juice kept “on skins” for just over 9 days to maximise colour and avour extraction. The skins were then pressed gently and the pressings pumped back with the free-run. The wine was then fermented out slowly over 5 days, allowed to settle and then racked off lees. Malolactic fermentation the ensued and the components were pumped directly to barrel. The malolactic ferment then proceeded steadily. The wine was aged in a combination of new, one year old and two year old French oak. The wine was finally blended and prepared for bottling following extended maturation.