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| The uncompromising pursuit of excellence brings the Yealands team to the extreme viticultural climes of Gibbston Valley in Central Otago. It is here under the frigid cloudless night skies that Pinot Noir vines, planted to undulating granite schist soils, struggle to yield harvests of parched grapes, redolent with cherry berry perfumes, bursting with an intensity of flavour and wrapped in a muslin of seamless, velvet tannins. Yealands Estate» |
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| From parcels of Pinot Noir, planted to the foot of tailings, left behind by waves of prospectors who pursued their fortune amongst the open pits and mines on Adelaide Hills during the gold rush of the 1850s. Crushed and destemmed straight into the press with minimal time on skins to extract the perfect pink, its blushing lipstick hues presage a cornucopia of lifted strawberry and cherry blossom characters, ruby grapefruit and luscious jube over a length of tasty, toothsome tannins, the perfect Rosé for lazy afternoons or late night soirées. Bird In Hand» |
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| Campbell's Topaque is the most wickedly intense, lusciously rich elixir, laden with candied peel flavours, honeycombed fruit and amber complexities. Painstakingly crafted to the old world Solera system, a bespoke tradition of fractional blending and elevage, achieving the most indulgent concentration of flavour through a laborious racking of barrels as the angels take their share. Campbells» |
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| A solid Cabernet Sauvignon with profound structure and vigorous fruit, the essential Coonawarra style, exuding rich bramble, berries and cassis aromas characters over soft, elegant tannins. Extended maturation in the finest French oak contributes to the wine's overall balance and drinkability. Hollick» |
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| . . Bottega» |
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| A Coonawarra Shiraz of elegance and finesse, Penley's vintages are regularly awarded with prestigious international trophies and accolades, outclassing some of the nation's icon wines. A splendid effort exhibiting generous varietal fruit and spiced pepper, perfumes of good French oak and plenty of flavour. Penley Estate» |
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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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| The top cut, off a mere four hectares Pinot Noir, eighteen different rootstock and clone, all picked by hand and separately fermented. Parcels are treated to minimalist vinification and the extravagance of a Vaslin Bucher basket press, followed by a year in the finest French oak barriques and three years cellaring before release. Pressing Matters» |
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| There are two superb high altitude sites in Carey Gully and Piccadilly Valley, which yield an extraordinary quality of Sauvignon Blanc. Knappstein take the top cut of each harvest, crushing the fruit for a long cool vinification, treating a batch to the added richness of oak barrel ferments for texture, complexity and weight. Riposte» |
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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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| From two blocks of superior vines grown to the McLaren Flat estate, hand planted by the Scarpantoni brothers in the early 1970s. Brothers Block claimed Australia's most illustrious award, the highly coveted Jimmy Watson trophy in 2007. Scarpantoni» |
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| There's a single block of Montepulciano along Bird In Hand Road at Woodside in the northern Adelaide Hills, a warmer site with rocky, well drained soils, perfectly suited for Italians. The seaside influence of Gulf of St. Bird In Hand» |
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About Alta Vineyards - the Winery
Alta Vineyards
Winemaker Sarah Fletcher, had a very clear vision for Alta from day one
Sarah wanted to showcase South Australia's Adelaide Hills as an outstanding cool climate wine region, selecting specific varieties and handpicking quality fruit. This has allowed her to create fresh, varietal wine styles with depth and obvious regional character. "My aim is to produce wines from varieties that thrive in the cool climate of the Adelaide Hills, each showing strong varietal character and distinctive regional expression."
In February 2005, Sarah became involved with Alta and took on the position of Winemaker. The 2005 vintage was her first, which followed the successful 2003 and 2004 releases. Four years at Adelaide University's Roseworthy Campus studying Oenology and seven years working for Orlando Wyndham as both red and white winemaker, producing wines from all over Australia, was enough to convince Sarah that the Adelaide Hills is an outstanding and distinctive wine region.
Working at Orlando gave Sarah the opportunity to work alongside many industry legends, such as John Vickery and Philip Laffer. Her knowledge and experience lead her to pursue her dream of owning her own brand. Of all the wine regions, she was most impressed by the uniqueness and potential of the Adelaide Hills so, when approached in 2005 to take on Alta, she jumped at the chance. Since then, Sarah has produced a consistently award winning Sauvignon Blanc, in addition to releasing three new varietals; Pinot Grigio, Pinot Noir and Pinot Noir Rosé.
Wine grapes were first planted in the Adelaide Hills in 1839. Situated east of Adelaide, the long and narrow Adelaide Hills wine region runs through the southern Mount Lofty Ranges. It is one of South Australia's largest wine regions, stretching from the edge of the Barossa and Eden Valleys in the north, to the boundaries of McLaren Vale and Langhorne Creek in the south.
The region is renowned for its variation in mesoclimates, with topograpy ranging from gently rolling hills to deep gullies with steep slopes. The majority of vineyards lie within an altitude of 400 - 700 metres with average rainfall 1,250mm. The altitude and steep topography have a major cooling effect on climate, which along with high rainfall, lend themselves to the production of earlier ripening, cool climate varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay Pinot Gris and Pinot Noir.
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