Baron Philippe de Rothschild’s expertise reflected in a range of affordable wines with all the qualities consumers expect in wines that are ready to drink.

Appellation:
Bordeaux Rouge is a blend of wines produced in the largest wine-growing area of the Bordeaux region, in the Bordeaux and Bordeaux Supérieur appellations.

Terroir:
Each grape variety used in the blend for Bordeaux Rouge comes from a specific terroir. Merlot planted on claylimestone soils brings nicely concentrated fruit and roundness to the wine, while Cabernet Sauvignon and Cabernet Franc planted on sandy, gravelly soils produce refined wines with very supple tannins.

Tasting notes:

Nose: The nose opens with a starburst of fresh and acidulated fruit aromas, including wild strawberry, berry fruit, redcurrant and bilberry. Airing increases the complexity of the bouquet, adding cherry notes.
Palate: From a fruit-driven, supple and fresh attack, the flavours on the midpalate echo the aromas on the nose, with redcurrant and raspberry leading the way. The fruit flavours linger on the finish, accompanied by some spice notes.

A flavour some supple Pinot Noir. Vibrant colour and youthful tints.

Aromas are in the red fruit spectrum and very subtle oak.

Savoury fruit and ripe tannins feature on the palate. While this had some whole bunch included, there is sufficient fruit weight.Thus will mature further, although enjoyable as a fresh, zippy young Pinot Noir.

A special McLaren Vale Shiraz-Cabernet Sauvignon blend from the excellent 2002 vintage. Originally made for a private client from Fox Creek's own grapes, it was for sale to private customers and not available for normal retail sale. The blend in this wine is 60% Shiraz and 40% Cabernet Sauvignon. The Shiraz was fermented on skins for 8 days and about 10% of the wine saw barrel fermentation during the later stages of the fermentation. The Cabernet Sauvignon components were fermented to dryness, before being transferred to oak. Maturation was in approximately 20% French and 80% American oak, with about 30% of this being new oak.

The acclaimed '1914' Shiraz.  Made by Rolf Binder from vines planted in 1914 by Hermann Hahn (great grandfather of James) on the Hahn Homestead property located in the heart of the Barossa Valley between Tanunda and Nuriootpa. A genuine old vine planting such as this is quite rare, hence the unique flavours and seal of authenticity.

Consistent with the warmer vintage in 2003, the lifted nose is supported by ripe black fruit characters on the palate. Very soft tannin structure gives a supple mouth feel, an excellent food wine.

Sourced from several elevated sites throughout the Barossa & Eden Valleys, the Struie reflects the cooler side of the region and showcases the subtle nuances that are gained from hillside viticulture.

The 2015 vintage clearly benefitted from some early summer rains which changed the course of the vintage. The fruit has wonderful freshness, good acidity and perfect balance. The Eden Valley component has an almost unbelievable vibrancy and purity which balances the rich Valley fruit perfectly.

One of the most lifted and aromatic Struie wines we’ve produced, the harmonious combination of both regions has again delivered a wine with layers of dark cassis fruit characters and defining structure. Nuances of plum, black olive, lavender and plush cherry characters all further enhance the natural elegance and persistence of the fruit quality.

The 2015 Struie will certainly age gracefully well into the next decade.

Semillon has always found a natural home in the Barossa. It was one of the early white wine grape varieties planted by the first settlers around 160 years ago and so the Barossa is blessed with a heritage of old, low yielding Semillon vineyards. At Torbreck, Semillon is fermented in both stainless steel and seasoned French barriques. Torbreck Woodcutters Semillon is not unlike the white wines found in the central and southern regions of France. This is due largely to the use of the Madeira (more robust and pink skinned) clone of Semillon, grown widely in the Barossa Valley.

Although not typically lemony, this wine exhibits more complex aromas of smoked almonds and honeysuckle as well as buttery textures from the natural malolactic fermentation. The palate displays a spicy mineral flintiness with exotic fruit flavours.

The name Woodcutter's stems from when Torbreck founder David Powell spent several years working in the Scottish Highlands as a lumberjack or woodcutter in the Torbreck forest.

Like all Torbreck wines, it's sourced from hand harvested and hand tended, low yielding vines. It is then open fermented and gently basket pressed, and aged on fine lees for 12 months in large format seasoned barrels and foudres.

Although this wine is constantly praised for being succulent and rich - perhaps the best feature of this wine is its complexity and texture, which are rarely found at this price.

Terroir & Site:

The Menzies is in the heart of Coonawarra terra rossa country. The vineyard site is reasonably level, with the defining terroir difference coming from the soils. Our soil is red sandy loam over limestone, which is classic Cabernet Sauvignon dirt. Most of the vines for Yalumba The Menzies were planted in 1985 and are trellised tall with wide rows. Bunches are usually small with small berries giving a concentration that favours the creation of full bodied reds.

Winemaking & Viticulture:

2013 was an excellent vintage; it was preceded by good winter rains and mild conditions during flowering, giving a good even set of berries. The warm conditions continued through harvest allowing the winemakers to pick ripe grapes at the ideal colour, flavour and tannin accumulation; it is a vintage to collect. The Menzies is made by small batch winemaking, maintaining the integrity of each eight-tonne vineyard parcel through vinification and initial barrel maturation. The grapes were crushed to small static fermenters where the liberation of colour and tannin is controlled either by plunging the skins, irrigating the fermenting wine over the cap or draining all the wine from the skins then flooding it back. Selected parcels are given extended skin contact before pressing.

Tasting notes: 

Full depth in colour with a plum red hue. The bouquet leads with violet and lilac floral notes to the tangy counterpoint of seaspray and pepper. The palate is rich and powerful; red fruits and dark chocolate on a robust tannin framework. The finish is long, complex and well worth contemplating. A char-grilled rib-eye on the bone is an excellent food accompaniment.