Francois Coueslant was a pioneering viticulturalist who made a major contribution to bringing Australian wines to the world. Winemaker manager at Tahbilk from 1877 to 1886, described in the Australasian at the time as a practical vigneron from France, a gentleman of progressive ideas, ever ready to adopt new and improved methods. Coueslant successfully lead the fight against the vine killing phylloxera louse, built the iconic estate tower and added Chateau to the Tahbilk label, a moniker which remained in use until 2000.

$3399each $407DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Straw hues, fine bead and persistent mousse. Offering a diverse array of subtle peach, melon, red berry and savoury fragrances. A textural palate wrapped in a cloak of crisp minerality and yeasty biscuit characters from the secondary fermentation. A delicious aperitif style, pour over freshly shucked oysters for a wonderfully sublime taste experience.

Exactingly fashioned from parcels of Semillon grapes, hand picked off dry grown vines, an exquisitely fragrant wine with a serious weight of palate, deliciously reflecting the cooler, balmy maritime breezes which rejuvenate the vineyard. The quality of fruit at Crawford River is the product of a painstaking approach to viticulture and careful management of crop levels throughout the growing season. The concentration of flavours and finely attenuated acidity offer great opportunty for growers with the nerve to tough out the extended vintages at Henty.

$3199each $383DOZEN EACH DOZEN Crawford River Wines has been a stimulating challenge for a fourth generation wool grower exploring the viticultural benefits of Henty as a new and unique appellation. As the first Crawford Vineyard posts were pounded into the slope in 1975, a number of the bemused locals pondered the efficacy of a drive-in theatre at such a remote location! A growing number of vineyards adopting the undulating grazing fields and natural bushlands of the surrounding landscape are today making significant contributions to the tapestry of Victoria viticulture. Following vinification and extended time on lees, a small amount has been barrel fermented in old French oak barriques, lending subtle textural elegance, balance and finesse.

Light straw colour. Subtle is the keyword, fragrant bouquets of honeysuckle, minerals and lime . A deliciously fresh, soft and evenly poised palate underpinned by firm chalky minerality, courtesy of time spent on lees. Fine, linear acidity is complimented by plush texture throughout, the lingering, bone dry finish is bright, persistent and crisp.

$4299each $515DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Completely dry grown and deliberately low cropped, the vines at Crawford River are stimulated by the chilly surrounds, to slowly ripen parched little berries with a concentration of flavour and the most elegant tannins. Cabernet Sauvignon is the primary black grape, meagre harvests of intensely flavoured fruit, layered with perfumed boysenberry and cassis richness. The holy trinity of Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon and Franc, framed by a measure of refined French oak, its velvetine plum and bramble nature makes Crawford River the perfect match to osso bucco or pink lamb.

$3499each $419DOZEN EACH DOZEN Parcels of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Franc, are all hand picked and destemmed. Fruit is crushed and the musts are left to macerate for a spontaneous vinification through the action of wild, indigenous yeasts. Ferments are treated to regular hand plunges for optimal extractions. One component is sent for an extended term of maceration, another is richly barrel fermented for richness, mouthfeel and complexity. Upon completion, batches are gently pressed into a selection of seasoned and new French oak barriques for a course of natural malolactic in the following spring and twelve months maturation, followed by a coarse filtration prior to bottling.

Deep garnet colour. Luscious wafts of boysenberries, baking spice and blood plum introduce a lively, fruit driven wine. A balanced, mouthfilling palate is brought into focus with bright, refreshing acidity and a taut edge of mineral refinement. Feminine, subtle oak in support, complementing the fruit and enhancing the gentle spice. Excellent persistence to the finish.

The vines at Crawford River were planted from the ground up, with a view to realizing minimal harvests of world class fruit. The auspicious site was originally used for grazing, established to viticulture in 1975, it was generations of cattle and sheep which prepared the land for winegrowing. A rare confluence of soils, limestones, friable basalts and ancient alluvials, form a terroir that's heaven sent for Cabernet Sauvignon. Finely boned, muscular and statuesque, a flagship Victorian effort to rival her siblings from the most regal Cabernet appellations in the world.

$5999each $719DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Deep scarlet red. Blackberries, mulberry and black cherry nose, bay leaf and allspice. Richly textured and layered, elegant, fine tannins in support of a densely structured wine. Evenly balanced throughout, the interplay between fine oak, fruit and spice continue to open in the glass, with balanced acidity lending excellent length and persistence.

$7899each $947DOZEN EACH DOZEN

From time to time at Crawford River, when vintage conditions are just so, the capricious botrytis cinerea blights a parcel or two of Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc grapes. This however can be a blessing of nature, if a spell of clear skies and sunny days, just before the time of picking, works its magic by drying out the berries and intensifying the natural sugars. The uniquely favourable mesoclimes of the Henty region are heaven sent for white wines, even more so when mother nature sets the stage for a toothsome sauternes style to rival the very finest.

$4999each $599DOZEN EACH DOZEN A mostly Sauvignon Blanc wine with a smaller component of Semillon. Fruit is slowly and carefully whole bunch pressed, the cleanest most pristine free run juices are essential to the integrity of style. Batches are racked for several days and treated to a regimen of rackings for clarification. A combination of yeasts inoculate the vinification, a third of the wine is filled to a selection of seasoned French oak for a luxurious course of barrel ferments, enriching the wine with complexity while softening the palate.

Deep bright yellow. A lifted, fresh scent of elderflower blossom and apricots, followed by yellow nectarine, chargrilled peach and cashew notes. A luscious, textural and dense, focused structure on the palate, fresh passionfruit and ripe peach linger on the back, its crisp, clean acidity capping off the extremely persistent finish. Exquisite as aperitif, a joy alongside fresh fruit desserts and ices.

The mineral rich basalt loams, permeable clays and underlying limestones at Crawford River are a rare confluence of terroirs which yield an amazing quality of Riesling. The Thomson family had been intimately familiar with the property for a century, eventually turning parts of their grazing enterprise over to viticulture after neighbour Karl Seppelt established one of Victoria's most felicitous new vineyards in the 1960s. Henty offers the exquisite regal charm of the world's great Riesling appellations, the richness of Riquewihr, elegance of Eden and comfort of Clare.

$5199each $623DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Bright pale hues. Fresh nose of white florals and lime, hints of pear and creamy macadamia nut overtones. The soft, intense palate is layered with fleshy white stone fruit, supported by a line of gently poised acidity from start to finish. Well rounded with a creamy honeysuckle mid palate and stoney mineral quality which adds complexity and textural crispness. Wonderfully long, exciting finish.

Outstanding Langtons Classification. The Crawford River vineyard wineworks are in the tiny but superlative Henty region, half way between Portland and Hamilton. This elegant and tightly structured Victorian Riesling wine must be experienced to be believed, it exhibits the intense, complex fruit characters and natural acidity of an elite vineyard terroir. A soft and textured palate of great purity and elegance is underpinned by stoney, Chablis like, chalky minerality, derived from the ancient seabeds in which the vines have extended their parched roots.

$7799each $935DOZEN EACH DOZEN Inspired by the site's potential to produce superior quality grapes, John and Catherine Thomson planted their dry grown Riesling vines in 1975 at Crawford River in southwest Victoria, a relatively unexplored winegrowing region. All the pruning, picking, shoot and fruit thinning, leaf plucking and general canopy management are done entirely by hand. Patience and time are of the essence around the winery, minimal interference and movement during vinification, the fruit is naturally allowed to express the specialness of the terroir. After the crush, clarified juices are coolly vinified at 12C to 15C until complete dryness, followed by six weeks on yeast lees to infuse purity and elegance into the finished wine.

Light, lime straw colour. Lime, apple and spice aromas. Chalky minerality pervades the delicate bouquet with subtle hints of honeysuckle and apple blossom. With its fresh intense lemon tonic and pear, apple and oyster shell aromas, superb lemon curd richness, persistence and minerality Crawford River Riesling reflects the modern idiom of the Riesling style.

Outstanding Langtons Classification. Established 1975, Crawford River is one of the most distinguished vineyards in Victoria, arguably the finest Riesling site on the Australian mainland. The pick of crop is set aside in the most exceptional vintage years for a limited release Reserve bottling, held back under the estate cellars for extended bottle development. Its marked elegance, seamless structure and captivating fruit, articulates the virtues of a superior terroir, as influenced by the largesse of an immaculate vintage.

$8999each $1079DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Brilliant straw green hues. Primary aromas of lime blossom and nashi pear, freshness and floral notes, cashew and brioche undertones. Steely austerity on the complex, textural palate, chalkyness and crystal lime throughout the middle back palate, an exquisite balance binds the ying and yang of youthful freshness and wonderful aged characters. Extremely long on the finish.

Fifty kilometres inland from the Victorian coast, halfway between Warnambool and Coonawarra, an unusally complex mix of friable, basalt loams and permeable clays, overlaying the limestones of an ancient seabed, form a terroir that's opportune for viticulture and idyllic for Riesling. Vines were planted at Crawford River in 1975 in the midst of a large cattle station, established by John Thomson's great grandfather in 1884. The young vines moniker is completely relative, as the most recent plantings at Crawford River are in excess of fourteen years.

$3599each $431DOZEN EACH DOZEN

Light, pale hues. Delicate blossom nose, lime peel and fresh apple notes up front. Fragrant limes and cut apple flavours on the distinctly mineral palate, wet stone characters, chalkiness and textural, supple and soft. Brightly balanced acidity follows through to the back, leading to a crisp, mouthwatering, evolving finish.

If ever there was a wine to counter the conventional wisdom, it must be Dal Zotto Estate Prosecco, the fun and fizzy Italian sparkling wine from the King Valley. Throw out those notions that proper bubbly must be hand made stuff, made from only the noblest of grapes. This is a classic Prosecco styling, the version which combines the varietal's aromatic quality with the exalted sapidity of its fine bubbles. To be opened for a dolce vita, anywhere and at anytime.

$1999each $239DOZEN EACH DOZEN Australia has borrowed Prosecco from the Italians. Prosecco comes from grapes you probably never heard of (Prosecco mostly, but can also contain Verdiso and splashes of Pinot Bianco or Pinot Grigio). Cuttings have been planted in the King Valley in Victoria, where the Dal Zotto family have produced Australia's first sparkling Prosecco.

Brilliant straw yellow, enlivened by its perlage, strands of tiny bubbles. It's aromatic quality is fresh and rich, fruity aromas of apple and pear with a hint of citrus fruit which fades into the floral bouquet. In the mouth it is soft, yet at the same time dry thanks to its good acidity. This wine from the Dal Zotto family is austere, subtly flavoured and has a finish as dry as a wind-blown leaf.