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| The Lovedale district of Hunter Valley is synonymous with world class Semillon. Resolved to make a transition from mining to wining, the De Iuliis family acquired a grazing property along Lovedale Road and established vines in the early 1990s. De Iuliis» |
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| Perfect balance in wine cannot be manufactured, it occurs naturally. Gemtree achieves this elusive idyll. Gemtree» |
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| The five most most exclusive parcels of old vine Shiraz, a secret component of the Barossa's most memorable vintages, hand picked off the De Fazio and Hillview vineyards at Belvidere and Moppa. Batches are crushed into traditional open top fermenters for a week of pumpovers, gently pressed into an extravagantly high proportion of new French oak hogsheads for two years maturation, followed by the final assemblage, unfiltered and unfined. Pirathon» |
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| Peter Lehmann has always been Riesling's most outspoken advocate, he has claimed best Riesling trophy at the prestigious London International on more occasions than any other, he declares Riesling to be his wine of choice if marooned on the proverbial desert island. Early picking of fruit from a superior single vineyard in the salubrious climes of Eden Valley has produced a fresh, lively Riesling, expect this captivating wine to exhibit genuine charm and offer great longevity as it narrowly missed being bottled behind Lehmann's flagship Riesling label.. Peter Lehmann» |
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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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| Enthused by a consuming desire to make great wine, Andrew Nugent honed his craft as viticulturalist and winemaker amongst the vines of McLaren Vale before returning to the Adelaide Hills, where he established his very own wineworks at Woodside. Hand crafted from fruit grown to mineral rich soils above the historic Bird in Hand gold mine, a pure Pinot Noir with superb effervescence, dominated by red berry characters, adorned by a lift of stonefruits and floral.. Bird In Hand» |
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| Stephen Pannell is one of Australia's most decorated winemakers, Jimmy Watson and twice Max Schubert Trophy winner, London International Winemaker of Year and Chairman National Wine Show. He found time in between tours of duty at Wirra Wirra, Tintara and BRL Hardy, to do vintage in Burgundy, at the illustrious Mouton Rothschild and amongst the grand old vines of Barolo. SC Pannell» |
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| . . Bottega» |
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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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| In exceptional years, parcels of Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon, Merlot and Petit Verdot are separately fermented. The best lots are assembled into a multiple trophy winer named Harry's Monster and treated to an extravagant maturation in the finest oak. Giant Steps» |
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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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| Carlo Monichino grew up among the illustrious old vineyards of Asti in Piedmonte. He migrated to Australia 1949 and planted his own rootstock at Katunga in the Goulburn Valley 1962. Monichino» |
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Lightfoot Sons
About Lightfoot Sons - the Winery
Lightfoot Sons
About three hours east of Melbourne, the Gippsland Lakes District is located between the Great Dividing Range and Bass Strait, a region that's famed for the large areas of National Park and State Forest, as well as the scenic Gippsland Lakes System
Gippsland as a wine region defies easy classification. It is technically a zone under the Australian GI system, rather than a winegrowing region of its own. The area is large and viticultural areas dispersed, however, throughout all precincts of Gippsland, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are the predominate grape varieties. The Bairnsdale sub region has lower annual rainfall than the rest of Gippsland and enjoys coastal climate which provides sea breezes throughout the growing season. Bairnsdale's cool semi maritime climate has proven to be particularly well suited for Pinot Noir and cool climate styles of Chardonnay and Shiraz.
The Lightfoot family first planted a small vineyard in 1995 near Bairnsdale in the pristine Gippsland Lakes region, they made small batches of wine each vintage for the enjoyment of family, friends and a handful of local wine enthusiasts. The family's favourite pasttime turned into a business which grew and grew. The second generation, sons Rob and Tom Lightfoot, now manage the enterprise. Alastair brings more than 25 years winemaking experience to the winery, working previously in the Yarra and Hunter Valleys.
After completing a Viticultural Science and Wine Production degree, Tom Lightfoot has worked a number of vintages in wineries throughout Australia and the Northern Hemisphere. Tom now manages the Myrtle Point Vineyard and assists Alastair in winemaking.
The Lightfoot & Sons Myrtle Point vineyards lie within easy view of Gippsland Lakes. The vineyard site, situated between the foothills of the Great Dividing Range and Bass Strait, was selected when soil mapping of the region identified tracts of precious Terra Rosa over limestone soil structure. The 29 hectare Myrtle Point vineyard was established between 1995-1997, Pinot Noir plantings make up almost half, with smaller bocks of Chardonnay, Cabernet and Shiraz.
Good annual rainfall of around 700mm and a regular coastal breeze throughout the growing season provides good airflow within the canopy and assists in the natural management of healthy vines. Shoot thinning and crop thinning when required, along with and limited use of irrigation, help maintain low cropping levels of less than 2 tonnes per acre. The maritime influence in the vineyard has a moderating effect on the cool climate and enables fruit to develop flavours of great varietal character.
The winemaking process begins in the vineyard. Priority is on producing high quality fruit with great varietal character and depth of flavour. The winemaking philosophy is focused on retaining and expressing these characteristics of season and soil as much as possible. Lightfoot & Sons wines are made exclusively from estate grown grapes. Using pure estate grown fruit allows complete management of the entire winemaking process, from early in the season as vines make fruitset, right through to the end of the winemaking process. This ensures that the finished Lightfoot & Sons wines remain of the highest quality and can articulate an uncompromised expression of vineyard and vintage.
Depending on vintage, Lightfoot & Sons may employ a combination of both wild and inoculated yeasts, small format fermenters are hand plunged, inclusion of whole bunches and a restrained use of new French oak, achieves wines of true varietal flavour and environmental character, fine texture and engaging complexities within the wine.
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