$2299each

$273DOZEN

DANIEL JAMES WILSON WOULD WRITE DJW RULES ON SCHOOL BOOK COVERS, desks, garden edgings and wet concrete whenever the opportunity arose. In 1997 DJW established a small 5½ acre plot of Riesling in the highest and most fertile corner of the family property, appropriately named DJW Vineyard.

$4699each

$561DOZEN

SINCE IT'S INAUGURAL RELEASE IN 1993, Grosset has made a powerful statement about the potential of Piccadilly Valley, an Adelaide Hills subregion that's so cool, it is often considered marginal for wine. It's an area that takes time to understand but the wines can be exquisite. Piccadilly is deliberately restrained. Succulent white peach, melon and grapefruit characters create a mineral, focused wine that's fresh and refined.

$1699each

$201DOZEN

PREVIOUS VINTAGE CLAIMED TROPHY AT CAIRNS BEST WINE FOR ENJOYMENT IN THE TROPICS! Winemaker Ross Pamment has fashioned a gorgeous Rosé, voluminously flavoured in mature adults only styling. The Brookland Valley team gave quite a bit of thought as to an appropriate style for the cool maritime Margaret River and came up with a mainly Merlot and Cabernet Franc blend. A vibrantly pink wine that's undergone short term skin contact, Verse 1 entices the nose with fragrances of raspberry and rose petal, a deeply flavoured palate and pleasant lingering finish.

$1999each

$237DOZEN

PERTARINGA LIES AT THE FOOTHILLS OF THE MOUNT LOFTY RANGES, the perfect location for grape growing by virtue of a temperate environment and deep clay loam soils. Undercover is a metaphor of the McLaren Vale's tradition of supplying other regions with bespoke batches of fruit which are vinified into some of Australia's most favourite wines. Undercover is an old vine Shiraz, selected from Pertaringa's five decades old vineyard, hand crafted by winemaking supremos Geoff Hardy and Ben Riggs. Undercover espouses the essence of McLaren Vale Shiraz.

Founding father, Yorkshireman Edwin Makereth, a farmer and miner, first planted vines around Avoca in 1887. His adviser was an Italian viticultural expert, Romeo Bragato, who claimed that Avoca was better suited to winegrowing than most other districts in the colony. He particularly noted the area's good drainage, and advised the planting of shiraz, pinot noir, mataro and verdelho. Romeo Bragato endeavoured to encourage other farmers to establish vineyards in the area.

The depression of the thirties, World War II and the wool boom of the forties eventually saw the demise of the fledgling local wine industry, and Avoca almost lost its viticultural heritage. In the early 1960s, ex-schoolteacher turned earth moving contractor, Walter Henning combined forces with some Ballarat businessmen and began the search for land to plant a vineyard. They hired a plane and flew all around the Pyrenees, looking for a suitable site. Finally they settled on the Moonambel area.

The current 1700 acre site, which Walter Henning was to baptize Taltarni, became one of the founding wineries of the new age of the Pyrenees. The original sixty acres of vines were developed by David Hohnen, who later went on to found Cape Mentelle in Margaret River. After seeing Taltarni through it's natal period, Walter Henning passed the estate onto John Goelet (and Red Earth Nominees Pty Ltd) shortly thereafter in 1972.

John Goelet selected Taltarni Vineyards after a worldwide search of the finest wine growing regions. The chosen site, with its red clay, quartz and sandy loam soils and cool Continental climate, was destined to produce premium quality, internationally acclaimed wines. In 1976, viticulturalist David Hohnen handed the reins to Dominique Portet, whose brother, Bernard helped find the vineyard on behalf of John Goelet. Bernard Portet had previously operated John Goelet's Napa Valley vineyard, Clos du Val. The dedication and energy of this formidable team carved Taltarni's early growth and international success.

From the outset there was a strong French influence, no more evident than in the vineyards which were planted to the classic Franco grapes. Taltarni has consolidated on a strong international reputation for its portfolio of premium wines, especially the long-living red wines, sensational Methode Champenoise styles and varietal sauvignon blanc (originally labelled as Fume Blanc).

In 1988, the Harris, Ball and Knowles families purchased the property of Willow Creek. At that time, there were remnants of its past life scattered over the property indicating that over time it has served as an orchard, dairy and sheep farm. Cattle were agisted here, and there were numerous old sheds, fences and the original red brick Victorian homestead built in 1860s. The following year, the vineyard was established with the planting of 12 acres of Pinot Noir, 9 acres of Chardonnay, 7 acres of Cabernet Sauvignon.

Originally a large mixed farm on a larger landholding the historic red brick homestead dates back to the 1880s. Soils range from volcanic derived red/brown clay loams in the west, changing to grey sandy loam at our eastern edge. The vineyard was planted on the original homestead block to Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Cabernet Sauvignon. The mix of varieties has been expanded in recent years with the addition of Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Gris.

Willow Creek wines show complexity and delicacy, and are clean and stylish. The wines celebrate the unique terroir of the site in its regional context. The grape growing philosophy is uncompromising:- the best wine comes from the best fruit. To this end, the winemaker works closely with the vineyard manager and staff to appraise the state of the soil, vine health, trellis method and fruit maturation. Ongoing vine trellising and canopy management innovations continue to fine-tune the vineyard to control yields and maximise fruit quality.

The winemaking philosophy is one of respect for natural and traditional winemaking but overseen with a keen eye for detail and modern quality control. A four hectare lake provides ample supplementary water for the vines if needed, as well as providing a home to a variety of resident wild water birds. The birds get the most use out of the dam now that the vines are established and accustomed to using the natural rainfall. The intention is to be totally dry grown.

The vintages increased and a portion of the grape harvest was sold to offset costs. Show results were the only form of marketing, word of mouth, tasting in liquor stores, wine dinners and participation in regional fairs etc. Major development took place in 1998 when the winery, barrel room, restaurant and cellar door were built. New viticulture, winemaking and management strategies were implemented to further develop potential as a producer of some of the finest single estate wines. Re-trellising and moisture monitoring were implemented, and the Willow Creek Vineyard label was redesigned. In 2003 Willow Creek became the first, and still only, simultaneous holder of both Mornington Peninsula Vignerons' Association Trophies for Best Red Wine and Best White Wine.

Barry and Glenys Mulligan researched the establishment of a vineyard on a 200 acre section of the property in 1984. This part of the property was unique in its elevation the rest of the property but mostly for is soil. The Ridge consists of limestone covered in terra rossa soil.

The initial planting of vines began in 1986. Vintage 1990 brought the first harvest for the first ever wines for St Marys. 1992 heralded the opening of the estate's cellar door, as St Mary's commenced distribution of it's wines nationally and internationally.

The vines are planted on an elevated area of Terra Rossa soil over Limestone. The soils are generally very stony. Some of the more austere parts of the vineyard are virtually pure rock. The vines that have survived on these stony areas produce relatively small tonnages compared to local district averages. There is only one basket press on the entire winemaking operation, and all the fruit being pressed through it makes for a softer and more traditional character to the wine.

St Mary's quietly prides itself with the knowledge of its high level of environmental responibility. Estate grown grapes only are used in the production of all St Mary's wines. Small batches of hand picked grapes are fermented in open vats, Basket Pressed and barrel matured in climate controlled storage before being bottled on premises.

St. Mary’s House Block Cabernet displays the concentrated blackcurrant characters of pure cabernet aromas complemented by cedary oak influence. Typical of the House Block style the wine is rich and full-bodied with ripe cabernet flavours. This wine has the capacity to develop further complexity and classic aged characters. The Super Premium label of St Mary's Wines is the result of each vintages stand-out batches of wine. The wine sports the family name as a statment of pride in its creation. As a wine it has been selected for its prolific fruit character and excellent tannin structure. This wine will age well and with longevity rewards will be reaped.

After a visit to Burgundy, Colin started by leasing a small quarter hectare patch of rocky clay soil in the Adelaide Hills where he planted clones of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay; a hobby block that for several years taught the trials and pitfalls of mildew, weeds and winemaking techniques. The French had close planted for a reason, based on 200 years experience. The resulting wines immediately started to show promise and before long, Colin Best was planning his retirement from engineering to devote his life to viticulture.

Colin approached winemakers already established in the relatively young Adelaide Hills wine region and was overwhelmed with their generosity and assistance. The attitude and friendliness of the Adelaide Hills vignerons contrasted so greatly with the elements of the contract engineering scene, that Colin became a full time vigneron. A historic former woollen mill in Lobethal was ideally suited for winemaking, with thick walls and connections to effluent disposal and within a kilometre of my vineyard and this became Leabrook Estate Winery.

The Leabrook Estate vineyard lies in the Onkaparinga Valley in the Eastern area of the Adelaide Hills. The climate is well suited to most cool climate varieties and ripening is usually reliable, provided the fruit is exposed to light and there is no over cropping. The vineyard lies on a gentle slope with relatively shallow soils. The soil profile consists of clays over dolomite and is reasonably well drained. The vineyard is protected from the prevailing winds causing good fruit set from flowering.

Hedge pruning exposes the fruit to light, necessary to achieve grapes of the highest quality. If the season has been too favourable for the vine, and foliage is excessive, workers are dispatched to the vineyard prior to harvest, plucking leaves from around the bunches to expose the fruit, and cutting away excessive growth. Fruit quality can also be affected by other factors. All Leabrook Estate vineyards are netted to minimise bird damage. A large fan has been installed in the lower lying frost prone area of the vineyard to circulate air on frosty mornings and protect the young growing shoots.

Leabrook Estate's policy is to achieve the best possible quality fruit. Vines are stressed with water levels kept to the minimum, while still providing healthy leaves to aid ripening. Spraying for mildew are kept to the very minimum; pesticide sprays are non existent, relying on natural predators to control pests. Picking time is a very complex affair. Up to 30 small batches of grapes are sampled and tested for taste and physical characteristics from the 2 hectare vineyard, and a picking strategy is developed over several weeks to provide the particular flavour profile designed for Leabrook Estate Wines.