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The term Terra rossa means red earth, a rich, free draining soil that is considered by many as the viticultural equivalent of discovering gold. Beneath the strata of red earth at Wrattonbully sits a layer of ancient limestone, a winegrower's dream as it allows free drainage of water, yet ensures vine roots stay close to the surface, putting natural stress on the vine and limiting its vigor and yield. Smith Hooper» |
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Positioned half way between Avoca and Ballarat, the modestly sized Amherst have only ten acres under vine. The small yields translate into extraordinarily structured, powerfully intense wines, brimming with fine aromatics and lined with silky tannins. Amherst» |
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Characterized by its controlled power, elegance and finesse, a very special Pyrenees wine which redefines the great Cabernet virtues of stature, structure and length. The inaugural release claimed Gold and Best Wine ahead of two timeless Bordeaux icons, Chateau Mouton Rothschild and Cos d'Estournel. Taltarni» |
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Scotsdale was acquired by Howard Park as a pastoral property, specifically chosen and planted to make a single vineyard wine. Shiraz is harvested according to flavour with little regard for analytical data. Howard Park» |
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Given the scarcity of Best's prestige, limited release, old vineyard icons, Bin #1 affords enthusiasts their first taste of the Great Western Shiraz style and leaves them eager to discover more. A classic, cool climate, aromatic wine, floral and spicy, peppery and elegant, retaining vital Great Western fruit character. Bests» |
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The Daisy Hill district thrived throughout the 1850s, due to its location along the main route to and from gold fields. The Amherst property sits atop old alluvial tailings, ancient diggings can still be seen around the property dressed in rich quartz soils. Amherst» |
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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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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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A highly prolific wine industry trophy winner, including best single vineyard and best Shiraz at the hotly contested McLaren Vale Wine Show. A magnificent collation of old vines fruit from several pickings on the illustrious Rayner property, including a judicious measure of grapes as whole bunches, are treated to a wild indigenous yeast ferment and course of age in barrels of well seasoned French oak. Bondar» |
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The historic goldfields at Beechworth are now delivering a different type of gold, in the form of suave white wines with panache and style. Pinot Gris has taken well to the cooler climes and mineral rich soils atop the steeply sloped aspects. Brokenwood» |
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Lenton Brae can justifiably claim to be one of Margaret River's leading proponents of the ebullient fusion between Semillon and Sauvignon Blanc, having claimed multi trophies and gold medals for the style at regional, state and national competitions. The site was chosen after a chance conversation with the owner of Moss Wood who mentioned that the soils were uniformly excellent and equal to those of the eminent vineyard nearby. Lenton Brae» |
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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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Moorooduc
About Moorooduc - the Winery
Moorooduc
Established 1982 by Richard and Jill McIntyre, Moorooduc Estate is a small, family run wine business which has developed an enviable reputation for complex, food friendly wines
All the wines are made on site at the estate's rammed earth winery. From a very modest 20 tonne winery set up in 1987, Moorooduc now have a more sophisticated facility with a small but high quality Bucher press and Vaslin – Bucher destemmer. The philosophy of everything that's done at Moorooduc is to make the most of top quality ingredients. Intensive, hands n care in the vineyard, with minimal use of chemicals, produces the best possible fruit for wine. Wild yeast ferments and minimal intervention winemaking, with a nod to traditional Burgundian techniques, allow the wines to express their specificity of site and terroir. Similarly, Moorooduc aim to source ingredients for accompanying foods that are seasonal, local and organic. The emphasis is on gentle winemaking methods with important quality control.
For the red wines, the whole bunches of grapes are cooled and destemmed but not crushed, dropped directly into two tonnes open fermenters, thus avoiding the need to pump the musts. After four to six days of maceration, the primary wild yeast fermentation begins. This takes about a week to complete with the temperature peaking at about 34º centigrade. A few more days on skins completes a total maceration time of 19-21 days when the new wine is pressed, after a day or two to settle out the gross lees, it is transferred to barrel. A natural malolactic fermentation occurs in the following spring. The wine is racked only once when it is assembled and prepared for bottling.
For the white wines the freshly picked whole bunches are gravity fed into the press where a program designed for sparkling wine base is used to separate the juice from the skins, pips and stems. The cloudy juice from the press is not settled but transferred to the fermentation vessel – almost always being oak barrels. Fermentation occurs naturally through wild yeasts and the wine remains on lees until it is assembled for final treatments. More often than not, a natural malolactic fermentation takes place in barrel.
The wine growing regions surrounding the city of Melbourne and Port Phillip Bay are known as the dress circle. These include Mornington Peninsula, Macedon Ranges and Geelong. The overall climate in this part of southern Victoria is temperate, with a moderate rainfall, mainly in the winter and spring. The critical ripening period for wine grapes is in the late summer and autumn, which is the most stable season with, in general, cool nights and dry, sunny days.
Moorooduc's home vineyard is McIntyre, mainly planted to Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with a small amount of Shiraz. It is an elevated site, about 80 metres above sea level, with a gentle north to north westerly facing slope. The topsoil is very sandy but the subsoil is unusually vine friendly clay with veins of sand running through it. Deep down in this layer one encounters red coloured clay and rock indicating the presence of oxides of iron. Once the vines reach maturity, they require no irrigation, having put their roots deeply into this layer. The oldest vines were planted in 1983. Over recent years, a grafting program has meant that there are now an interesting mix of Pinot Noir clones, some grafted onto original 1983 plantings. The larger Robinson vineyard is a few minutes drive south of McIntyre.
Moorooduc also source parcels of exceptional fruit from viticulturalist Hugh Robinson's superlative site. Of particular interest are some newly available, high quality clones of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. From this fruit, Moorooduc produce the individual vineyard wines, Robinson Vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The estate Garden Vineyard is a small site, a stone’s throw from McIntyre, planted to Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. The house block Pinot Noir is a small north facing slope. These are all outstanding sites, the very top pick of fruit, vinified in highly traditional Burgundy techniques, for a superior range of magnificent Mornington wines.
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