Lovely mid density colour, not light or black with purple hues. Dark cherry and now released as a young wine, some noticeble charry oak notes on the aroma.

Brokenwood had the luxury of being highly selective across all its barrels in 2014 and this wine has benefitted greatly from some declassified old vine Graveyard Shiraz in the blend.

Full flavoured and slight Hunter Valley iodine characters and lots of ripe blackberry fruit.

Sweet ripe tannins carry the flavour and bright acid finish. Again oak there but certainly fits the overall structure of the wine.

Sound fruit and excellent ripeness. Typical mid density colour meaning this is an elegant supple Graveyard Shiraz.

The older, large format French oak integrates perfectly with sweetness and fine tannins. The fruit spectrum for Graveyard Shiraz is about red cherries and almost Pinot-like Campari notes. Medium bodied palate but with ripe tannins and a juicy acidity that will keep the wine in good stead for many years.

Semillon of the Year, James Halliday Wine Companion 2016

8 Trophies / 9 Gold Medals / 4 Silver Medals

8 TROPHIES  :

Royal Queensland Wine Show, 2016 Trophy - Best Semillon of Show Trophy - Best Mature White of Show Trophy - Best Single Vineyard White of Show Trophy - RNA Best White of Show Sydney Royal Wine Show, 2016 Trophy - Best Semillon of Show Trophy - Best Mature White of Show NSW Wine Industry Awards, 2015 Trophy - Best Mature White Shanghai International Wine Challenge, 2015 Trophy - Best Semillon of Show

9 GOLD Medals :

Royal Queensland Wine Show 2016 - Hunter Valley Wine Show 2016 - Sydney Royal Wine Show 2016 - Winewise Championship 2016 - Decanter World Wine Awards 2015 - NSW Wine Industry Awards 2015 - Shanghai International Wine Challenge 2015 - Sydney Royal Wine Show 2015 - The National Wine Show of Australia 2015

4 SILVER Medals : 

Decanter World Wine Awards, 2016 - Hunter Valley Wine Show, 2015 - Royal Adelaide Wine Show, 2015 - Royal Queensland Wine Show, 2015

POINTS

97 Points Australian Wine Companion, 2016 / James Halliday The Australian, 2016 / James Halliday WineWise Championship, 2016 / Lester Jesberg huonHOOKE.com, 2016 / Huon Hooke Weekend Australian Magazine Top 100, 2015 / James Halliday WineWise Online, 2015 / Lester Jesberg

96 Points Gourmet Traveller Wine Magazine, 2015 / Nick Bullied

95 Points huonHOOKE.com, 2015 / Huon Hooke

94 Points Real Reviews, 2015 / Huon Hooke 92 Points Wine and Spirits Magazine USA, 2015 / Joshua Greene Vinous USA, 2016 / Josh Raynolds Wine Enthusiast - Cellar Selection USA, 2016 / Joe Czerwinski

92 Points Wine and Spirits Magazine USA, 2015 / Joshua Greene Vinous USA, 2016 / Josh Raynolds Wine Enthusiast - Cellar Selection USA, 2016 / Joe Czerwinski

This wine has a beautiful colour, and perfect grapes/ripening means nothing interferes with the gentle aging. As the wine warms up, the citrus and some florals come in. Bees wax and then ‘toast’ will come in a few years. Lively palate, plenty of citrus pith and seamless acidity. A perfect follow up to the near perfect 2007 ILR and a wine that has a long future in front of it.

Particularly intense colour heralds the quality of the vintage. This impression is confirmed by a ripe nose on black and red fruit aromas, a slight hint of oak and a few floral notes. The new style is showcased in a wine which professes vibrant character, remarkable amplitude and delicious tannins.

Craneford wine is crafted to epitomize the best fruit of the vintage whilst continuing to express the unique characters of the each vineyard.

All the wines produced show classic Barossa flavours, complex and well balanced. Craneford’s aim is to continually produce the highest quality wine from the best Barossa fruit available.

The 2004 Diana Madeline was produced using biodynamic techniques, which Cullens believe is crucial for optimising the quality of the fruit flavours and for investing the wine with a velvety structure and very high quality tannins.

It was made from a blend of 84% Cabernet Sauvignon, 13% Merlot and 3% Cabernet Franc. The fruit was picked at Baumés ranging from 12.1-13.7, producing an average value of 13.5º. The wine was matured for 18 months in French oak, of which 54% was new. 

Wine has been flowing in the Clare Valley since 1851 and is an integral part of the culture. It is one of Australia’s most prestigious premium wine regions, most famous for its Riesling and Shiraz. A small area, accounting for less than 1.5% of Australia’s total wine production.

Tasting notes:

This wine has a dark, inky red hue. It shows lifted notes of black berry and blueberry briary fruits, liquorice, perfumed- violets, and a lick of toasty vanillin oak.

The palate is restrained in its youth, whilst having the concentration and depth the McRae Wood is famous for vibrant dark forest fruits of blackberry and plum are complemented by a rich streak of earthy goodness.

This wine shows a generous girth with rich fruit cake fruits, cherry and blackberry supported with balanced acidity and complex, delicate grained tannins.

Made using the ‘Jim Barry’ method and as such can be enjoyed upon release, but would equally benefit from cellaring to allow the wine to show some mature characteristics that come with age.

It's fascinated the way by which Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon blend so well together in a harmony of the senses.

Tasting notes:

This wine has a rich inky red hue in the glass.

On the nose it shows fruit cake characters, blackberries and cranberries, rounded off by secondary aromas of nutmeg with a finish of sweet mint.

Bursting with vibrant bright red fruits, the palate has a lovely juiciness with a lick of earthy mushrooms and truffles. This wine has a nice oak drive, providing balance and persistence, which continues to develop. Feminine tannins maintain its youth with bright primary fruit and integrated sweet vanilla and cedary oak.

The Benbournie region was settled in 1853 by Catholic German friends of local priest, Father Kranewitter. The tiny settlement comprises about 15 mud huts surrounded by a Roman Catholic chapel. The small community’s optimism was built on copper mining, however the industry’s decline signalled its demise before the turn of the century.

All that remains today are a few ancient vines, fig and almond trees. Wine has been flowing in the Clare Valley since 1851 and is an integral part of the culture.

It is one of Australia’s most prestigious premium wine regions, most famous for its Riesling and Shiraz. A small area, accounting for less than 1.5% of Australia’s total wine production. With its beautiful, rolling hills, ideal winter rainfall and Mediteranean climate, the Clare Valley carries a unique history and winemaking heritage.

Tasting notes:

This wine is a deep crimson red in the glass. Intensely aromatic with a mix of both red and black currant fruit with a hint of savoury spice and dark mint chocolate.

Opens with a burst of dark vine fruits countered with notes of sage and clove spice. Layers of fresh currants, spice, earth and chocolate give the palate great intensity and depth of flavour.

This vibrant core of fruit runs long with fine, graphite like tannin and cedary oak. A soft, layered, tireless finish closes out a wine of great balance and cellaring potential.

The story of Riesling in Australia is as old as the wine industry itself. Aficionados will remember the legendary “dry white hock style” wines from the 1960’s and 1970’s.

The greatest Rieslings of that era came from the revered ‘Florita’ vineyard—a seventy five acre block established one mile south of the Watervale township near Clare in the early 1960’s. Jim Barry’s sons purchased The Florita vineyard in 1986. Leo Buring first registered ‘The Florita’ trademark in 1946, and Mark, Peter and John were forced to wait, somewhat anxiously, until finally procuring it in 2004.

The 2015 ‘The Florita’ expresses a pale straw shade in the glass with a slight green tinge.

Tasting notes:

Opens with powerful floral aromas of rose water, lime citrus and hints of freshly cut Nashi pear. A wine of immense drive and purity. Tightly wound within snappy laser focused acidity and crisp lime juice fruit at its core. Shows the hallmarks of a youthful but restrained Florita with a promise of more to come. Pure lime fruit is dominant with a long citrusy finish.

A time-honoured and alternative expression of Shiraz not relying on any new oak which is unusual among high quality Australian red wines. The first commercial vintage was in 1957 gaining a new lease of life in the 1990s as its quality and distinctive style became better understood.

Rich and plush when young, gaining soft, earthy, mocha-like characters as it ages. It is matured in old, 1460 litre vats that allow the wine to develop, imparting minimal, if any oak character. This wine has a bright crimson rim, dense purple colour. Anticipated praline/milk chocolate St Henri aromatic markers on the nose, replete with fruits mulberry and boysenberry. Compliments of the vintage freshly squeezed beetroot/ginger juice, dried spices, bay leaf and sage. Large old vat-matured Shiraz, varietally and convincingly announced by way of a cold lamb/rosemary/marrow disposition.

The palate is plush, fleshy and mouth filling showcasing a cleverly woven texture and deceptive (fruit) weight. Nectarine and blood plum fruits courted by the largesse of big, ripe and round tannins. Maturation precursors already awoken, although yet to ascend/unfurl. Long and persistent, polished.

Beautifully packaged in a wooden presentation box – perfect gift idea.

The 2003 is completely opaque, right to the rim of the glass. The nose is also imposing with magnificent notes of lifted spice.

Closer investigation reveals wonderfully multi-dimensional but very condensed aromas at this early stage. A dark, rich and concentrated palate displays the up front flavour of apricot nectar, and flows into brooding cassis, anise and tar.

This wine possesses a multitude of different facets and nuances that will constantly change and evolve.

The Cigar is a name coined by Coonawarra Vignerons to describe the unique cigar-shaped strip of rich red terra rossa soil. Home to some of Australia’s most famous vineyards, the secret of Coonawarra lies in the intimate bond between the terra rossa soil, limestone layers, pure artisan water and a long cool ripening season. Fortunate to be part of this iconic place, Yalumba salutes the region’s pioneers and those privileged to inherit its future.

VINTAGE CONDITIONS:

Good winter rains replenished soil moisture level and an early burst of warm weather initiated bud-burst a few weeks earlier than normal. Shoot growth proceeded rapidly and the early head start was maintained through November and December. January and February were dry so our winemaker and vineyard manager had few concerns and held high expectations for the vintage. Their hopes were realised and the grapes reached full ripeness and maturity easily. Harvest was completed by March 30.

WINEMAKING/VITICULTURE:

Yalumba The Cigar is made through traditional small lot winemaking techniques.The grapes are crushed to small static fermenters, ensuring good extraction of colour and tannin. The grapes stay on skins for around seven days, though some tanks are given extended skin contact before pressing.The wine is matured for 22 months in mainly French oak hogsheads and barriques; 28 per cent of them new.

TASTING NOTES:

This wine has a full nose with intense savoury blackcurrant fruit and cherry ripe highlights. The wine’s palate shows a warmer vintage and opens with cassis and ripe cherries. There are layers of plum and cherry fruit entwined with middle weight tannins, giving a lengthy savoury textured finish.

Signifying Yalumba’s commitment to Barossa Shiraz, this is a truly individual wine, handcrafted, handmade and matured in fine French oak and Yalumba coopered American octave barrels. These unique barrels, which offered inspiration for the wine’s name, are just one of the many harmonious components in the symphony that is Yalumba The Octavius Shiraz.

Terroir & Site:

Sourced 64% from Eden Valley and 36% from Barossa Valley with an average vine age of 96 years. The Eden Valley Shiraz provides the exotic aromatics and seamless palate structure, while the Barossa Valley Shiraz provides richness, density and concentration.

Vintage Conditions:

Vintage 2012 saw average temperatures through spring and early summer enabling the vines to flourish, giving healthy balanced canopies and good fruit set. Mild conditions through January to March allowed the Shiraz grapes to ripen in ideal conditions producing fruit with outstanding depth of flavour and concentration.

Tasting Comments:

Full depth purple red in colour, it opens with aromas of fresh, ripe raspberry and blueberry, then powdery exotic spices, violets, wildflowers and black cherries. It has a plump and harmonious palate - a brooding, dense, dark mouthful of delicious Barossa Shiraz. A supple beauty that isn’t about aggressive power. The flavour is tremendously long, with a rush of energy that will carry this wine for many years.

Food Match : lamb shoulder and all the trimmings.

They release their 55th iteration of Yalumba The Signature Cabernet Sauvignon & Shiraz – a superb 2013 vintage that honours Andrew Murphy. they raise a glass of this wine to celebrate Murph’s years of service, commencing in the Cellar he rose to Cellar Manager, qualified as a Winemaker, was promoted to Operations Manager in 1992 and today is Director of Wine.

Terroir & Site:

The Cabernet Sauvignon components were sourced entirely from the Barossa Valley, with five main vineyards selected. The vineyards of Trevor Fromm, near Williamstown, the Brooks vineyard at Gomersal, the Cowham Light Pass vineyard and the Crown Village vineyard, in the Krondorf foothills. These components all provide the rich lifted Cabernet Sauvignon aromatics and palate structure that The Signature is known for the majority of the Shiraz comes from the Schiller family vineyard north of Nuriootpa on the Barossa Valley floor. Four blocks were selected with vines planted between 1925 and 1969. These blocks provide the Shiraz sweetness, fullness, depth and add many layers of complexity.

Winemaking & Viticulture:

Dry and warm conditions during the 2013 growing season produced Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz crops with smaller bunches and berries full of concentrated flavour. All parcels of fruit were fermented separately in either eight-tonne open fermenters or six-tonne static potter fermenters using wild yeasts. These wild yeasts have helped contribute individual complexities to the wine, creating richness and fine textures. 

Tasting notes: 

The colour of The Signature 2013 is almost impenetrable, this is a wine of aromatics and fineness with great depth of concentration. Showing dark red powdery currants and the leafy freshness of mint and cool spices, the aromatics are complex Cabernet Sauvignon. The palate is all about Shiraz with dark plum, licorice and a potpourri of berry fruits, round, rich and complete with an ironstone depth of tannin, giving the support that will take this through the cellar for a very long time. Not to be opened for at least 5 years, but if you weaken, enjoy with a char grilled rump steak with all the extras.

A true individual showcasing the essence of Grenache.

Hand picked from just 820 gnarly old Bush Vines planted in 1889, these wines have been in the ground for over 125 years. Their home is two acres of estate owned sandy soil over yellow-brown clay in the heart of the Barossa Valley. Year after year these veteran vines give up small quantities of exceptional grapes.