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Earnscleugh Valley was the site of a gold rush in the 1860s, the industrious miners dug a watercourse through the valley which today serves to nourish the world's southernmost appellation of Pinot Noir. The Last Chance is a small scenic terrace, planted to a special Burgundy clone of Pinot Noir which yields a magnificently structured, generously proportioned wine. Two Paddocks» |
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Vintaged from a single block of magnificent old vines on the cooler climes of Eden Valley high. Heirloom are all about identifying and rejuvenating superior parcels, a patient and painstaking approach to the resurrection of venerable elder plantings, for the realization of profoundly structured, powerful yet elegant wines. Heirloom» |
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Tyrrell made a major contribution to the development of Heathcote as a world class winegrowing region. One of the earliest pioneers, they sowed the seeds and established the vines which launched the second gold rush into Heathcote Shiraz. Tyrrells» |
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Take a lesson from the well versed Rosé rectors on the Cotes du Rhône and you'll be adding a measure of the arcadian Cinsault grape into your Grenache ferments, conceiving an animate and engaging ochre pink wine. There's a real affinity between the balmy maritime climes of McLaren Vale and the swarthy, effusive varietals that hail from the French south. Bondar» |
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The highly opportune Pinot Noir vines at Bird In Hand are planted on the site of an ancient gold mine, a godsend of fortuitously fertile soils, magnificent growing conditions for stellar quality Adelaide Hill wines. Fermented in own bottle and aged five years on lees in true Méthode champenoise, the term of extended maturation imparts luxurious biscuit notes, chantilly crème and frais de bois. Bird In Hand» |
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Stoney Rise is all about drinkability, the creation of complex, fully approachable food friendly wines, without any excessive oak or uber ripeness. Pinot Noir goes into the oldest barrels available to soften the tannins and refine textures without overpowering the sensual fruit characters. Stoney Rise» |
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Streicker's Bridgeland property yields harvests of the finest Shiraz. Crafted to traditional winemaking techniques, a regimen of old fashioned plungings and open ferments, into a pure, single vineyard Rhone style Syrah. Streicker» |
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A collation of superior vineyard parcels, crafted by a boutique estate which has been recognized as one of Australia's leading wineries. Clonakilla are dedicated to making distinctive, handcrafted wines, only ever released in limited quantities, anything by Clonakilla can be hard to find, but they are worth the search. Clonakilla» |
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Bleasdale are Australia's second oldest family owned winery, established 1850 by English migrant Frank Potts. Potts built much of Adelaide's early colonial works before settling down to his homestead at Langhorne Creek. Bleasdale» |
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Mandoon are a Swan Valley operation of great provenance, their homestead vineyard being an ancient block established on the first rural grant in Western Australia, circa 1929 at a property named Sandalford. Always on the lookout for exceptional parcels of fruit, the highly decorated Mandoon team have focused on a northern block of Research Station Vineyard in Margaret River. Mandoon» |
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The enthusiastic maritime climes of Martinborough are heaven sent for a style and quality of Sauvignon Blanc to rival the world's finest. Mother nature sets the stage, but ultimately it is the thoughtful viticultural practices of the Palliser Estate team, which ensures a harvest of ripe and intensely flavoured Sauvignon Blanc at every vintage. Palliser Estate» |
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The marvelous S1 block is a sheltered, relatively warm site within the splendid vistas of Seaview Vineyard, on a north facing plateau at 160m above sea level, refreshed by maritime winds that blow in from the Cludy Bay coast. Fruit is crushed and destemmed, chilled and gently pressed, the clearest juices are racked off for a long, cool ferment to capture the full opulence of S1 vineyard grapes on the vine. Yealands Estate» |
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Castle Rock
About Castle Rock - the Winery
Castle Rock
Castle Rock Estate is nestled on the eastern slopes of the Porongurup mountain and is named after a prominent nearby landmark
Castle Rock vineyard is planted on Porongurup Road in the shire of Plantagenet. It is set high in the Porongurup Ranges, which are 40 km north of Western Australia's south coast regional center Albany. The altitude, 350 meters, and the position of the vineyard, which exposes the vines to cooling south-east breezes results in a prolonged growing season, enables the fruit to develop maximum varietal flavour and ripeness. The vineyard has a cool and elevated northerly aspect, resulting in intensley flavoured wines. The first varieties (Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon) were planted in 1983. Those first two hectares were followed in 1986 with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir with further plantings of Riesling and Cabernet Sauvignon. Later planting included Merlot and Cabernet Franc. In 1996, the 10th anniversary of the first vintage, preparation commenced with an additional area planted with Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay.
Towards the end of 1981 the 55 hectare property was specifically selected by Angelo and Wendy Diletti to grow premium quality table wine grapes. The choice was based on the altitude, an approximate eastern slope, well-drained soils and excellent water catchment potential. The wide arc of magnificent views has been the bonus. The wines from Castle Rock Estate were made under contract at Alkoomi winery from 1986 to 2000. The next phase of growth was to make wines on site at Castle Rock Estate. After the 2000 vintage the decision was made to bite the bullet and proceed with plans to build a 200 tonne winery on the estate. Despite having nearly twelve months, it was only just completed on time, the first tanks arriving only four days before the first grapes arrived.
The winery building makes use of the natural slope of the land and is built on two levels. The winery is a blend of age old, proven techniques and some equipment which is state of the art. The upper level houses four six tonne red fermenters.
The grapes are crushed and fermented on the upper level of the winery, then gravity fed into the press below, thus doing away with the need to pump the must. This is very important for Riesling as it reduces skin and seeds which give the juice hard phenolics. When the reds have finished fermenting, the press can be positioned below and filled simply by opening the door!
The press, de-stemmer/crusher and refrigeration system were bought brand new to be sure of their ability, performance and reliability. The use of gravity ensures the right balance to maximise quality. Castle Rock's wines are bottled on site by a portable bottling line which is set up on the back of a semi trailer. This is an ideal arrangement to avoid sending the wine away in a bulk tanker. Bottling on site means Castle Rock can be sure that the quality and freshness of the wine is maintained. Everything done at Castle Rock places a priority on growing great fruit and making exceptional wine. Mother Nature sets the environment, the growers and viticultural team maximize the gifts of the elements. All that's left for the winemaker is to complete the natural process which translates superb quality fruit into an outstanding range of magnificent Great Southern wines.
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